Protibesh—is a double-blind, peer-reviewed research journal of architecture published bi-annually for over more than forty years by the Department of Architecture, Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET), in January and July every year.

Protibesh, meaning environment, aims to provide a forum for publication of original research and scholarship, for better understanding of the different aspects of and intervention for environment in urban and rural settlements. Protibesh is committed to act as a catalyst to bridge theory, research and practice in the broad field of Architecture of Bangladesh.

It publishes papers on buildings, the built environment, the history of architectural theory, housing, urban design, environment, health sector planning, education sector planning, domestic architecture, etc.

 

Brief history of the University

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in Dhaka is one of the oldest institutions for higher education in Bangladesh. Its history dates to the days of Dhaka Survey School established at Nalgola in 1876. The Survey School subsequently became the Ahsanullah School of Engineering offering three-year diplomas in Civil, Electrical and Technical Engineering. In 1948, the School was upgraded as the Ahsanullah Engineering College and became a faculty of Engineering under the University of Dhaka. It was then offering four-year undergraduate programmes in Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering. In 1962, in order to facilitate postgraduate studies and research, and with the addition of a newly formed faculty of Architecture, the Ahsanullah Engineering College was alleviated to the status of a University of Engineering and Technology. Following the independence of the country in 1971, it became the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. The university celebrated its centenary year in 1976.

 

Brief history of the Department of Architecture

The process of industrialisation and urbanisation in the 1950s led to hectic development which suffered lack of technological support. To address this and other newly evolving challenges the Department of Architecture was established alongside existing engineering education. The founding of this flagship Department in 1962 helped in the transformation of the then Ahsanullah Engineering College to a full-fledged University. From its inception until 1990, the Department was the only institution of its kind imparting architectural education in the country. At present the Faculty of Architecture and Planning has three Departments: Architecture; Urban and Regional Planning; and Humanities.

The Department of Architecture had a very humble beginning with just one international teacher, Professor Richard E. Vrooman, and only six students, but had the support of the Texas A&M University (a public research university which itself traces its roots to 1876 and as of 2020 has the largest student body in the USA and the only university in Texas to hold all three designations as a land, sea, and space grant institution). By the year 1965 there were four American teachers and 68 students at five levels. The year 1966 is a landmark in the history of Architectural education in the country. It was the year when the first five students graduated in Architecture after the completion of the 5-year programme. In the same year six Bangalees returned to bolster the teaching staff after obtaining their degrees in architecture from the USA. In 1968 all the expatriates left, entrusting the programme entirely with the local staff. Shah AlamZahiruddin took over as the first Dean of the School.

With the independence of Bangladesh in 1971 the building industry gained a new lease of life and the demand for higher education increased. In 1979 a programme offering the Master of Architecture degree was introduced followed by a PhD programme from 1993/94.

At present, the Department has a total of 36 teachers, 24 of whom have post-graduate degrees with diversified specialisations, such as Housing, Environment, Urban Design, Health Facilities, Educational Facilities and so on. The Department celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 1986 and Golden Jubilee in 2012.