Marina Tabassum
Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA) is an architectural practice based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, founded in 2005. The studio is internationally recognized for its research-based approach, producing contemporary architecture rooted in place. Rejecting contextless, consumer-driven architecture, MTA grounds its work in climate, geography, culture, and social conditions, creating projects that are environmentally conscious, socially responsible, and culturally relevant. Each project responds sensitively to its specific site, community, and context.
Integrating practice with research and teaching, MTA investigates the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh, collaborating with geographers, planners, landscape architects, and allied professionals. A key focus of the studio is working with marginalized and low- to ultra-low-income communities, aiming to improve environmental quality and living conditions through architecture.
Led by principal architect Marina Tabassum, the studio brings together architects interested in process-driven and self-built projects that challenge conventional practice. Associate architects work closely with the principal to oversee research, design, and project management. Internationally regarded as a twenty-first-century model of practice, MTA has presented its work widely. In 2016, the firm received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque, which was also listed by The New York Times among the world’s top 25 postwar buildings. MTA’s work has been exhibited globally, collected by major museums, and documented in its first monograph, published in 2023.
