Project Title: পাটতরি (Beyond rediscovery: Alijan jute mill's future)

Site Location: Kewriapara, Narsingdi, Bangladesh

Student Name: Fatiha Tanjim Oni

Academic Year: 2025

Project Supervisors: Ar. Dr. Mohammad Faruk, Ar.  Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed, Ar. Mohammad Zillur Rahman, Ar. Bayejid M. Khondoker

Head of the Department: Ar. Dr. Fuad H. Mallick

University: BRAC University

Fatiha Tanjim Oni

Project Background

The Revival of Alijan Jute Mill explores the adaptive reuse of one of Bangladesh’s colonial-era industrial landmarks, situated on the banks of the Meghna River in Narsingdi. Once a vital node of the “Golden Fibre” economy, the jute industry symbolized prosperity and national identity. Its decline, however, left behind abandoned structures- silent witnesses of industrial heritage now threatened by neglect, unplanned urbanization, and socio-economic shifts. The project aims to transform this site into a vibrant mixed-use commercial and cultural hub, where memory, heritage, and opportunity converge.

The site spans 41 acres, with the original mill occupying 4.53 acres. To align with environmental regulations, no factory is built within 150 feet of the riverbank, protecting the Meghna’s ecology while embracing its cultural significance. The design proposes a marketplace within the old factory building, an adaptive reuse model that retains industrial heritage while stimulating economic activity. A new jute production facility with modern technology will be introduced, securing continuity of Bangladesh’s jute tradition in a globalized market. Worker housing, designed for about 200 residents, ensures labor remains integrated into the site’s living fabric.

The zoning creates distinct yet interconnected realms: a museum on the left, a linear market on the right, and public green breakout spaces in between. These layers serve not only functional purposes but also act as metaphors: the museum conserves memory, the market redefines livelihood, and the greens create collective breathing grounds. A roof module, generated from the original colonial facade, connects past and present while narrating industrial heritage through architectural form.

Culturally, the project reclaims Narsingdi’s industrial heritage- once a textile hub tied to jute cultivation and trade- framing it as part of Bangladesh’s national identity while addressing the global challenge of post-industrial decline. The mill shifts from a relic to an emblem of resilience, showing how abandoned factories can be reimagined as sustainable cultural and economic hubs.

Concept

Conceptually, the project draws on New Contextualism. Unlike traditional contextualism, which often emphasizes visual harmony, New Contextualism integrates multiple layers of site realities- social, economic, political, historical, ecological, cultural, scientific, geographical, architectural and urban. In the case of Alijan Jute Mill, this involves addressing the socio-economic displacement caused by the industry’s collapse, the ecological sensitivity of riverside development, and the cultural symbolism of jute. The project becomes not just an architectural intervention but a contextual dialogue- balancing heritage conservation with adaptive commercial strategies.

Through this lens, the mill is not treated as an isolated ruin but as a node in an interconnected system of community, economy, and heritage. The inclusion of crafts, commercial opportunities, and cultural spaces ensures revival is not nostalgic but future-oriented. By weaving colonial-era industrial memory with contemporary aspirations, the project demonstrates how architecture can reconcile history and progress, ecology and industry, and local identity with global competition.

Ultimately, the Alijan Jute Mill Revitalization Project is a manifesto of continuity. It proposes a future where industrial heritage is reinterpreted, where identity finds global relevance, and where architecture catalyzes economic revival and cultural resilience, guided by the principles of New Contextualism. Beyond design, it is a statement on how abandoned mills can be reclaimed as living heritage for communities and future generations.

Barriers to Revival

• Addressing the socio-economic issue of post-industrial decline and loss of global market share.

• Exploitation by middlemen, leaving artisans economically vulnerable.

• Deterioration of the historic mill structure.

• Unlocking the abandoned riverfront area.

• Lack of integration between heritage preservation, modern production, and community needs.

The Big Vision
Reimagining Alijan Jute Mill as a national and global model- reviving Golden Fibre heritage through adaptive reuse, modern jute, and a vibrant handicraft market, creating a resilient riverfront hub for culture, commerce, and ecology.

Social: Empowering artisans + worker housing.
Economic: Modern factory + handicraft market, cutting out middlemen.
Political: Responding to post-1971 exploitation, reclaiming self-reliance.
Historical: Preserving colonial-era mill + Golden Fibre legacy.
Ecological: 150ft river setback, green commons, sustainable production.
Scientific: Advanced jute technology, replicable adaptive reuse model.
Geographical: Meghna River + Narsingdi as trade/textile hub.
Cultural: Local craft + industrial heritage as national identity
Architectural: Adaptive reuse + new roof modules.
Urban: 41-acre civic hub + heritage-led regeneration.

Jury Comments:

Dr. Mohammad Habib Reza (Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, BRAC University)

One of the most remarkable aspects of this project is the clarity with which it navigates the complex layers of industrial heritage, socio-economic memory, and contemporary architectural needs. At first glance, the scale of intervention within a historically charged site like the Alijan Jute Mill may seem ambitious. However, a closer reading reveals that the proposal is firmly grounded in contextual reality- respecting regulatory guidelines, responding to community needs, and engaging the river-edge ecology with admirable sensitivity.

What makes this project stand out is its balance between restraint and innovation. The adaptive reuse strategy does not overpower the colonial-era structure; rather, it amplifies its historical value through intelligent zoning, sensitive material articulation, and a coherent spatial narrative. The way the project frames the Meghna River as a public threshold is especially commendable. As a studio work, it demonstrates an exceptional level of refinement and intellectual rigor. This is a concept with real potential for discourse beyond the academic studio.

The way the project frames the Meghna River as a public threshold is especially commendable. As a studio work, it demonstrates an exceptional level of refinement and intellectual rigor. This is a concept with real potential for discourse beyond the academic studio.

Dr. Mohammad Faruk (Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, BRAC University)

The strength of this project lies in its ability to stitch together heritage, community, economy, and environment into a unified architectural language. While many adaptive reuse attempts focus only on physical conservation, this work goes further by reimagining the industrial campus as a socially vibrant and economically resilient hub.More importantly, the project demonstrates how abandoned industrial infrastructures can be transformed into active public assets when approached with sensitivity and vision.

This thesis offers an exemplary model of contextual thinking and stands out as one of the most cohesive and well-grounded projects in the studio.