Located in the capital Dhaka, the Aga Khan Academy is a joint venture project by the Bangladeshi firm SHATOTTO
Architecture for Green Living and British practice Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, for the educational network Aga
Khan Academics. This award-winning project is deeply rooted in Bengal's architectural and archaeological heritage.
The masterplan references the architects’ extensive studies of the historical Buddhist universities in the Bengal
region which date back as early as 300 BC. To create a sanctuary for education within the harsh city-center
location, it offers friendly outdoor learning and social areas through extensive planting and landscaping throughout
the premises.
The proposal for the academy has been developed by imagining the site as an archaeological landscape, using a
classic element of Bengal architecture - red bricks. The character of the Academy is primarily defined by a series of
four-story buildings with traditional brick cladding, surrounding a calm central Maidan (open field) designed as the
spiritual, recreational, and social heart of the school.
The entrance to the premises is surrounded by the native ‘Palash’ trees, which were originally called ‘Dhaak’ trees
that inspired the Mughals to name the city ‘Dhaka’. Brick patterning and artistry pay homage to the local brickwork
precedents and traditional skills. The buildings being connected with nature, are designed to breathe through 'Jali'
screens and windows, which is another definitive feature of Bengal architecture. The ‘Jali’ (decorative screen) walls
filter sunlight into the buildings, creating a series of thresholds between the air-conditioned classrooms and the
sweltering summer sun.
The Academy intends to foster an environment that balances academics with sports, cultural events, and community
interaction, to establish a harmony between academic and non-academic pursuits. The garden-like rooftops
are designed to expose the students to the open sky, potentially enhancing their intuitive knowledge. There is a
commons building comprising a cafeteria, indoor sports facilities, a nursing section, and an auditorium. A separate
building comprises administrative offices, meeting rooms, and computer rooms; a library is located in one corner of
the complex.
The academic buildings are designed to have their own courtyards with a symmetric layout of plants, seats, and
tables that enable outdoor study for students. The courtyards are embedded with a drainage system to harvest rainwater for being refined and repurposed later. The courtyard between the two junior school buildings features an
amphitheater-like arrangement of steps punctuated by short brick walls where larger gatherings of students can
take place.
The architecture of the academy facilitates air movement that ensures passive cooling throughout the year. The
classrooms are oriented to minimize solar gain in summer while adjacent buildings provide solar shading to external
walkways from the morning sun. The buildings are designed with wide open hallways providing ample space for
students to move about freely. Numerous points of interaction are created all over the premises - to run, sit and
chat, or simply observe the surroundings. The project echoes Louis Kahn’s ideology - “The classroom belongs to
the teacher but the school belongs to the students”. The Aga Khan Academy seamlessly blends historical facades
with modern interiors, creating a sanctuary for academic as well as empirical and intuitive knowledge.