sthapotik illuminates bangladeshi mausoleum with deep skylights

drawing from traditional craft in bangladesh

Among a residential and tree-covered neighborhood in Manikganj, Bangladesh-based studio Sthapotik completes a mausoleum expressed with architectural vaulting and textural brickwork. The design is informed by local building techniques and materials, and responds to cultural traditions, transforming these elements into a contemporary project which serves the community.

‘Generally, a Dargah is a home for the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervish,’ write the architects, describing the program. ‘In Persian ‘Dargah’ means ‘portal.’ Metaphorically, Dargha is the home where the earthly body rest and the soul travel to paradise through the portal and the chandelier of paradise connects the earthly body to the higher power by blessing them with holy light.’

images © Asif Salman

a solemn space, flooded with ambient light

Inside the Sthapotik-designed mausoleum in Bangladesh, deep circular skylights flood the space with ambient light. The architects note that this atmosphere, together with the solemn presence of graves, creates a ‘mysterious celestial ambiance that intrigues a spiritual notion in human minds.’ The team continues: ‘The outer shell is the replication of our reality but the inner space moves the reality beyond it.’

mausoleum architecture by sthapotik

The design team at Bangladesh-based Sthapotik notes that in this subcontinent Islamic architecture, the primary use of a single square unit is dedicated to the mausoleum — these tombs were largely influenced by the traditional structure of Bengal huts. The Dargah’s plan followed the same thirty-six foot-square shape and housed three graves on a white marble platform.

While this newly built mausoleum takes shape within a residential neighborhood dense with trees and plant-life, the design aims to maintain an informal and natural approach rather than creating a conspicuous entrance. To highlight the depth of the building and ensure an understanding of its overall volume, the approach arrives upon the building at an angle, so that visitors greet the building at its corner.