Kashef Chowdhury

Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury tiene un estudio cuyo trabajo se arraiga en la historia, con un fuerte énfasis en el clima, los materiales y el contexto, tanto natural como humano. En lo que respecta al diseño, los proyectos tienen un extenso tiempo de investigación para alcanzar un nivel de innovación y expresión original. Los trabajos recientes y actuales van desde la conversión de un barco y asentamientos de bajo costo, a un centro de entrenamiento, una galería de arte, un museo, un hospital, residencias y viviendas multifamiliares, hoteles y sedes corporativas. Chowdhury fue profesor invitado en varias universidades de Bangladesh y fue jurado de Estudios Avanzados (Máster) en Yale. Fue dos veces finalista del Premio Aga Khan de Arquitectura y fue galardonado con el primer puesto del Premio AR+D 2012 de Architectural Review.

Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury tiene un interés activo en el arte y trabajó como fotógrafo profesional.

“Nuestra experiencia nos dicta que, en arquitectura, más no necesariamente es más. Los más grandes proyectos no necesariamente son los más inspiradores ni abarcan obligatoriamente la vida pública en su máxima expresión. En nuestras casas, al igual que en los museos y en nuestros espacios comerciales, debemos lograr el equilibrio adecuado entre escala y espacio; monumentalidad e intimidad. Toda arquitectura debe tener la voluntad de nacer de una profunda preocupación por la optimización de recursos y medios; y debe tener realmente en cuenta la fragilidad de la naturaleza en la que está destinada a existir”. Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury

www.kashefchowdhury-urbana.com
Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury
Architect, Principal
Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA

Kashef Chowdhury ha sido invitado magistral en la edición «procesos» de 2016, Bienal Internacional de Arquitectura de Argentina

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Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury was born in Dhaka, the son of a civil engineer, growing up in Bangladesh and the Middle East before graduating in architecture from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 1995. In 2006, he attended the Glenn Murcutt Masterclass in Sydney.

After working with architect Uttam Kumar Saha, he established the practice URABANA in partnership in 1995 and from 2004 has continued as the sole Principal of the firm. Chowdhury is married to Rajrupa Chowdhury, an Indian classical musician of the instrument Sarod. They have a son.

Kashef Chowdhury has a studio based practice whose works find root in history with strong emphasis on climate, materials and context – both natural and human. Projects in the studio are given extended time for research so as to reach a level of innovation and original expression. Works range from conversion of ship and low cost raised settlements in ‘chars’ to training centre, mosque, art gallery, museum, residences and multi-family housing to corporate head offices.

Chowdhury has been a visiting faculty at the North South University and BRAC University, both in Bangladesh and has been a juror in final year crits in universities in Dhaka. He was twice finalist in the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and has won first prize in Architectural Review’s AR+D Emerging Architecture Award 2012.

Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury takes an active interest in art and in 2004 presented a lecture series ‘Aspects of Contemporary Art in Germany’ at the Goethe Institut, Dhaka. He has worked as a professional photographer and has held seven solo exhibitions. He has designed and published three books: Around Dhaka, 2004; Plot Number Fifty Six, 2009 and The Night of Fifteen November, 2011 – a photographic and recorded account of some survivors of the cyclone SIDR in the coastal areas of Bangladesh.

Catherine Slessor and Rob Gregory, writing in ‘Emerging Architecture and Creative Resilience’ (Architectural Review, December 2012) notes: «In his studio, time is held in high regard, so much so that until recently he deliberately resisted using any form of artificial light, choosing instead to operate the business during daylight hours. This was done to enforce a natural pattern to the working day, and to encourage people not to work excessively long hours, and while changes to this routine were perhaps inevitable, Chowdhury maintains his respect of time, stating his desire to separate his studio from the influences of ‘the passing world’ to avoid ‘rushing through the design process’, and to always remember that ‘time is of the essence’.»