History of the Department of Architecture, BUET

The Department of Architecture (DoA) at BUET is a leading institution in South and Southeast Asia. It was established in the early 1960s to train professional architects and contribute to the modernization of Bangladesh through the development of the built environment.

DoA began its journey in 1962 as part of the newly formed Faculty of Architecture and Planning at the East Pakistan University of Engineering & Technology (EPUET). The opening of this new Faculty upgraded Ahsanullah Engineering College to a full-fledged university. A five-year Bachelor of Architecture program was developed in collaboration with Texas A&M University, USA, under the US-AID technical assistance. DoA started with one expatriate faculty member and five students, but later, more expatriate faculty members joined, and local graduates with higher studies became full-time faculty members.

After gaining national independence in 1971, the Department of Architecture (DoA) transitioned into an institution with an all-local faculty under BUET. The Department shifted to a newly designed architecture precinct by Richard E. Vrooman, the first Head of the Department, and the iconic Architecture building has since showcased the possibilities of architecture in a tropical climate, inspiring generations of aspiring architects in Bangladesh. Early mentoring by Richard E. Vrooman and Daniel C. Dunham and experience sharing by renowned adjunct faculties like Louis I. Kahn, Paul Rudolph, Stanley Tigerman, Mazharul Islam, and Fazlur Rahman Khan set the foundation for the achievements of graduating architects.

The department's diversified faculty expertise has been streamlined into discrete divisions to run its postgraduate and undergraduate programs, setting it apart from a few regional institutions.