Project Title: Memory, Space & Revival: Reclaiming the Cumilla Town Hall Complex

Site Location: Cumilla Townhall, Kandirpar, Cumilla, Bangladesh

Student Name: Md. Taslimul Bari

Academic Year: 2025

Project Supervisors: Ar. Afra Anan Saba

Head of the Department: Ar. Dr. Md. Nawrose Fatemi

University: University of Asia Pacific

Md. Taslimul Bari            

Project Brief

The Cumilla Town Hall complex (est. 1885) is a fragmented colonial heritage site of 3.2 acres, facing urban decay. Over time, unplanned development, neglect, and shifting urban demands have left these historically rich structures fragmented, underutilized, and at risk.

Current condition

This project opposes the demolition culture, proposing a sensitive adaptive reuse strategy that reintegrates the Birchandra Library, Town Hall, and club structures into modern civic life. By blending conservation with strategic redevelopment, the design transforms a static relic into a living urban nucleus. It reclaims the 'Maidan' as a democratic plaza, ensuring the site remains a vessel for collective memory while serving contemporary functional needs.

Context & Challenge

The Cumilla Town Hall, established in 1885 by Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya Bahadur, was once the socio-cultural nucleus of the region. However, rapid urbanization and administrative neglect have left this 3.2-acre site fragmented. The heritage structures are physically decaying, the 'Maidan' is encroached by informal markets, and the Ministerial and Theosophical club buildings are abandoned. The core challenge was to intervene in a site that holds immense intangible memory without freezing it as a museum.

Site location

Mapping

Cultural Mapping

A comprehensive cultural mapping was conducted not just of the complex, but of the surrounding urban fabric to identify the scattered historical and cultural elements that once defined Cumilla’s civic identity. By tracing the relationships between colonial structures, civic monuments, and local public rituals, this research generates a cohesive 'Heritage Trail' that anchors the Town Hall to its broader context. The design intervention utilizes this trail to physically and visually restitch these disconnected components, ensuring they are not only sustained but actively celebrated—making the city’s rich history legible and accessible to both local residents and visiting tourists.

Cultural trail

Spatial and Behavioral Mapping

• Memory Zones: The library and Town Hall are still emotionally connected to older generations of Cumilla residents who remember attending book readings, cultural shows, or public meetings.

• Lost Connectivity: The original relationship between the Town Hall and the club spaces has been cut off by ad hoc stalls and boundary walls.

• Festive Occupations: Key events like 21 February, 26 March, and 16 December draw large crowds to the site, especially around the Shahid Minar and auditorium.

• Daily Use: The front plaza is now a semi-permanent bazaar zone used by hawkers for garments, books, and food. This creates both vibrancy and congestion.

Despite physical decay, the site remains a vital node in collective memory, acting as a dynamic interface between heritage and daily utility. This analysis confirms that conservation alone is insufficient; the design strategy must instead bridge these cultural flows, balancing spatial dignity with public access and economic functionality.

Design Strategy:

The master plan divides the complex into four strategic zones, applying a mix of conservation, renovation, and relocation. This decision came from the site handling strategy.

Site handling strategy

Initial design decision - 1

Initial design decision - 2

Initial sketches

Masterplan

Other floor plans

Zone A: Birchandra Public Library & Town Hall: The approach here is strict conservation of the colonial façade to retain the original skyline. The interiors are retrofitted with modern acoustics and lighting to serve as a functional theatre and digital archive, ensuring the building remains active rather than static.

Zone B: The Auditorium & The Cumilla Club: Responding to the need for open space, the new volume for the auditorium is handled with restraint. By depressing the mass partially underground & placing the Cumilla Club behind the town hall without increasing the height of any of the masses, the design minimizes visual obstruction, allowing the heritage structures to breathe.

Redesigned auditorium & cumilla club

Zone C: The Civic Philosophy Center: The dilapidated Theosophical Society and Ministerial Officers Club are reimagined as a "Civic Philosophy Center." By combining these fragmented rooms, the design creates a Heritage Dialogue Room and archives, connected to the main complex via a new shaded colonnade that invites pedestrian flow.

Zone D: The Public Plaza: The hawkers currently clogging the entrance are reorganized into a designated zone, reclaiming the central plaza for public gathering. The Shahid Minar is repositioned to a quieter, contemplative garden zone, restoring the dignity of the monument.

Site section

Section AA

Sequential experience

Conclusion

This project asserts that heritage conservation in Bangladesh must go beyond aesthetics. It validates that 135-year-old structures can accommodate modern needs through adaptive reuse. By protecting the soul of Cumilla Town Hall while reshaping its public realm, the project offers a replicable model for saving our decaying civic history.

Jury Feedback & Reflection

The project received significant acclaim from the external jury during the final defense. The following remarks were provided by the invited jurors:

1. Ar. Md. Sharif Uddin Ahammed (Principal Architect, Sthapotik)

"The title of the project—'Memory, Space & Revival' - is one of the aspects I appreciated most. You have successfully worked with the memory of the site, designed relevant spaces, and revived the entire complex. Your intervention does not stop at tangible structures; your design and presentation effectively narrate the stories of the intangible historical memories embedded here. Furthermore, by identifying the open field specifically as a 'Maidan' and giving it architectural significance, you have elevated the site’s civic value. Overall, your design decisions are highly praiseworthy."

2. Ar. A K M Tanvir Hassan Niru (Architect Partner, Synthesis Architects)

"You have acknowledged the cultural essence of broader Cumilla and successfully incorporated those inputs into your design. The spaces have been carefully thought out according to their specific nature. I particularly appreciate how you have unified the project through the colonnaded walkway and utilized different textures to define the character of the paths. As an end-user, I would truly enjoy spending time on this project."

Project model