In the low-lying deltas of Bangladesh, water is responsible for both life and loss. Every year millions of people are forced to rebuild after floods wash away their homes, crops and livelihoods. In these precarious areas, the act of building has become an act of resilience. Here it is Khudi Bari turns out to be a modest but radical proposal. Designed by Marina Tabassum Architects, the project provides lightweight, modular and affordable housing for communities displaced by climate change. Named one of the winners of the 2025 Aga Khan Prize for Architecture, it represents a form of architecture that empowers rather than imposes.
For Marina Tabassum, architecture is never detached from context. Her work has long addressed the intersection between material intelligence, spirituality and social responsibility. Following on from the celebrated Bait Ur Rouf Mosque, For the film, for which she received her first Aga Khan Award in 2016, Tabassum turned her attention to the urgent realities of climate migration. The result is a project that redefines what it means to design for survival and dignity, providing a system that communities can adapt, replicate and own.
