Dhaka Lab
Jute

The Jute Lab in Dhaka will take place from 21 August to 28 August 2026, focusing on jute, one of Bangladesh’s most significant natural fibres. Participants will explore innovative ways of working with jute under the mentoriship of architect Marina Tabassum (Bangladesh) and scientist Dr. Mubarak Ahmed Khan (Bangladesh).

Kolkata Lab Bio Design South Asia © Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan

About the Lab

The Jute Lab in Dhaka focuses on jute, one of Bangladesh’s most significant naturalfibres. As a renewable and biodegradable material, jute plays an important role in agriculture, industry and cultural identity.

In this lab, participants explore innovative ways of working with jute beyond its conventional uses. Through experiments withfibres, composites and structural systems, architects, designers and researchers investigate how this abundant material can be adapted for new applications in design and architecture.

The lab aims to connect traditional knowledge with contemporary material research to develop sustainable and future-oriented design approaches.

Participating Artists

Aroni Roy (b. 1991) works within a multidisciplinary practice where art, architecture, and technology converge to create holistic and mutually inclusive designs. Through her process, she seeks to contribute to regenerative and innovative systems that enable all living beings to thrive alongside one another.
Fariha Khondoker is a recent architecture graduate from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). As she begins her professional journey, she is increasingly drawn to vernacular practices rooted in diverse local contexts. She aspires to contribute meaningfully to contemporary architectural discourse by building on the knowledge, insights, and experiences she continues to gain through her practice and research.
Husna Zahan Tonny is an architect and researcher with a strong interest in socio-spatial studies, material exploration, and sustainable design. Her work focuses on developing research-driven and context-responsive architectural approaches that connect people, place, and culture.
Kazi Sydul Karim (Tuso) is a designer and installation artist from Dhaka, Bangladesh. His practice, shaped through Britto Arts Trust, explores the relationship between vernacular knowledge, material culture, and contemporary spatial practices. Working closely with artisans, he transforms traditional techniques and everyday handcrafted objects into large-scale installations that reinterpret historical craftsmanship through new scales and functions.

He has participated in major exhibitions, biennales, and residency programmes, including documenta fifteen (2022), the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale (2023), Asia NOW Paris (2023), Gangaburi: River Heritage – Buriganga (2023), the Connecting Ecosystems post-documenta residency exchange programme (2023), ShohorNama II: NEER (2024), 1+1: The Relational Years at MAXXI Museum (2025), and The Zurich Archipelago (2026).
Labib Hasan is a final-year architecture student at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). His interests lie in sustainable design, local materials, and the relationship between culture, landscape, and contemporary architecture. Through both digital tools and hands-on experimentation, he explores materials and design techniques while seeking new approaches to collaborative and context-sensitive design.
Madhuri Deby Rupa is a Bangladeshi doctoral researcher at IIT Roorkee (India) under the supervision of Prof. Smriti Saraswat. As an architect and researcher, she represents SANCHAY Lab, where craft-based innovation is used to explore jute, bamboo, and other bio-derived materials. Her work integrates traditional knowledge with sustainable design approaches.
Md Mahfuz Alam Rudro is an architecture student, designer, and maker whose work explores the intersection of space, technology, and creativity. His interests range from architectural design and urban thinking to digital fabrication and bio-design. Driven by curiosity and a commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, he seeks to transform ideas into meaningful experiences and tangible outcomes.
Papia Sarwar is an artist and architect whose practice is informed by soil, memory, and inherited knowledge. Working with natural pigments and locally available materials such as mud, bamboo, straw, jute, and reclaimed fragments, she creates artworks and spaces rooted in cultural memory, ecological care, and spirituality. Her work explores continuity, connection, and devotion through acts of making.
Rafia Mahjabeen is a textile artist and designer whose work explores the relationship between people, nature, and memory through weaving, natural dyeing, and mixed-media practices. Using sustainable materials and traditional textile techniques, she creates works that investigate the communicative potential of textiles while reflecting on environmental consciousness, materiality, and identity.
Rituparna Saha is a textile artist and designer exploring memory, nature, and emotional healing through sustainable textile practices. Using natural dyes, hand stitching, weaving, and reclaimed materials, she creates tactile narratives that reflect slowness, material consciousness, and the quiet dialogue between tradition, ecology, and contemporary expression.
Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores how materials, stories, and communities shape lived experiences. His practice spans illustration, installation, and participatory workshop-based projects, investigating cultural memory, ecology, and spatial narratives. He is currently developing an approach he describes as “Layered Experience Design.”
Shovan Lal Sarker believes that design should challenge assumptions and create memorable experiences. His practice is driven by curiosity, experimentation, and thoughtful design processes that combine research, technology, and storytelling. Through his work, he explores overlooked possibilities and transforms them into meaningful spaces that connect culture, climate, and human imagination.
Silma Subha is an architecture student with a strong interest in biodesign, sustainable materials, and heritage conservation. Her work focuses on exploring affordable, nature-inspired building solutions that contribute to making sustainable architecture more accessible and inclusive.