6.2 Governance
Founder and Intellectual Origins
Mohammad Habib Reza, architect, architectural historian and originator of New Contextualism. A profile compiled from published sources, each fact with its citation.
In this section6 · Governance
The profile below is compiled from published biographies and records, and awaits the founder’s approval. An approved portrait will be added when one is supplied.
Originator of New Contextualism
Mohammad Habib Reza
Editorial summary Awaiting the founder’s approval Compiled from published sources
Mohammad Habib Reza is an architect and architectural historian, and an Associate Professor at the School of Architecture and Design, BRAC University, Dhaka, specialising in architectural and urban design history and theory and in heritage management (Reza 2025). He completed a Bachelor of Architecture at Khulna University in 2001 and a PhD in architectural history and theory at Nottingham Trent University in 2013 (BRAC University n.d.a).
Before his academic career he worked as an architect for the Barisal City Corporation (BRAC University n.d.a), the experience he identifies as the point at which he first felt the need for a contextual approach (Reza 2023c). At Nottingham Trent University he was a Research Fellow on projects funded by the university and Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Culture, documenting traditional oasis settlements in central Oman for heritage management plans (BRAC University n.d.a). He is a founding member of ArCHIAM, the Centre for the Study of Architecture and Cultural Heritage in India, Arabia and the Maghreb (BRAC University n.d.a; Reza and Nitu 2025).
His research addresses the geometric and morphological development of architecture and settlements and their connection with cultural, social and religious processes, with a particular focus on the ancient and medieval Buddhist architecture of Bengal (BRAC University n.d.a). Over the past decade he has developed New Contextualism through teaching, writing, workshops and symposia (Reza and Nitu 2025). His recent essays address the cultural and civilisational history of Bengal, and a 2026 author note describes his work on ‘Bengal’s cultural history, deltaic urbanism, heritage governance, and civilisational continuity’ (Reza 2026a; Reza 2026b).
Appointments
- Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Design, BRAC University, Dhaka
- Research Fellow, Nottingham Trent University
- Assistant Professor, State University of Bangladesh
- Architect, Barisal City Corporation
Education
- PhD, architectural history and theory, Nottingham Trent University, UK
- Bachelor of Architecture, Khulna University, Bangladesh
Affiliations, as stated in published biographies
- Founding member, ArCHIAM (Centre for the Study of Architecture and Cultural Heritage in India, Arabia and the Maghreb)
- Vice President, ICOMOS-PRERICO
- Co-Director, UIA Heritage & Cultural Identity Work Programme (as listed in 2023)
- Secretary (Events), ICOMOS Bangladesh (as listed in 2026)
Selected lectures and presentations
- Introduction to New Contextualism and its Principles, Workshop ‘Exploring New Contextualism’, BRAC University, Dhaka
- Preserving the Past, Designing for the Future (roundtable), 28th UIA World Congress of Architects, Copenhagen
- Facilitator, ‘Exploring New Contextualism 2.0’, Department of Architecture, BRAC University, Dhaka
- Sustainability, Equity and Heritage: Exploring New Contextualism in the heritage sites (listed in the programme), State Heritage Conference 2025, Fremantle, Western Australia
- Bengal Gupta Viharas: Did such a Phenomenon Exist?, Third International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Prato, Italy
Writing on New Contextualism
- Re-Establishing the Sacredness of Somapura Mahavihara: A New Contextual Heritage Management of a Buddhist Sacred Land
- New Contextualism: Architecture and Urbanism for People, Place, and Justice
- New Contextualism: An architectural philosophy for deltaic Bangladesh
- New contextualism: A path to a sustainable and equitable future
Selected scholarship on the history of Bengal
- Reading Bengal beyond religious boundaries
- Rethinking the origins of Bongabdo through Bengal’s ecological civilisation
- বাংলায় নাথ ধর্মের উৎপত্তি ও বিকাশ [Origin and development of the Natha sampradaya in Bengal]
- Cultural continuity in the Sultanate Bengal: Adjacent ponds of the mosque as a traditional phenomenon
- A community-involved strategic management plan for Chhoto Katra
- Re-Imagining Bengal: Architecture, Built Environment and Cultural Heritage
- Rethinking the Post-Gupta Bengal: Settlement and architecture
- Evaluating morphological changes of household environment: A case study of migration in Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Bahla: Harat al-Aqr, documentation and heritage management plan
- Bengal Gupta Viharas: Did such a Phenomenon Exist?
Intellectual origins
The founder traces New Contextualism to his early work as an architect-planner for the Barisal City Corporation and to his doctoral research on the early Buddhist architecture of Bengal (Reza 2023c; Reza 2025). The approach crystallised, in his words, from ‘the practical challenges of contemporary urban planning in Bangladesh, the deep historical insights from our region's architectural past, and a critical engagement with global architectural discourse’ (Reza 2025). The full account is given under Origins and Evolution.
Sources
New Contextualism
- BRAC University 2023BRAC University. 2023. “Daylong workshop and lecture sessions held on ‘Exploring New Contextualism: An Approach to Architecture and Urban Design’.” BRAC University News, June 21, 2023. https://www.bracu.ac.bd/news/daylong-workshop-and-lecture-sessions-held-exploring-new-contextualism-approach-architecture. Record
- Reza 2023cReza, Mohammad Habib. 2023c. “New contextualism: A path to a sustainable and equitable future.” The Business Standard, December 19, 2023. https://www.tbsnews.net/features/habitat/new-contextualism-path-sustainable-and-equitable-future-760366. Record
- Reza 2025Reza, Mohammad Habib. 2025. “New Contextualism: An architectural philosophy for deltaic Bangladesh.” The Daily Star, April 23, 2025. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/focus/news/new-contextualism-architectural-philosophy-deltaic-bangladesh-3878456. Record
- Reza and Nitu 2025Reza, Mohammad Habib, and Upama Das Nitu. 2025. “New Contextualism: Architecture and Urbanism for People, Place, and Justice.” Context BD, September 16, 2025. https://contextbd.com/new-contextualism-architecture-and-urbanism-for-people-place-and-justice/. Record
The founder’s earlier scholarship
- Reza 2026aReza, Mohammad Habib. 2026a. “Rethinking the origins of Bongabdo through Bengal’s ecological civilisation.” The Daily Star, May 14, 2026. https://www.thedailystar.net/slow-reads/focus/news/rethinking-the-origins-bongabdo-through-bengals-ecological-civilisation-4174901. Record
- Reza 2026bReza, Mohammad Habib. 2026b. “Reading Bengal beyond religious boundaries.” The Daily Star, June 23, 2026. https://www.thedailystar.net/slow-reads/focus/news/reading-bengal-beyond-religious-boundaries-4205971. Record
Documentary sources
- BRAC University n.d.aBRAC University. n.d.a. “Mohammad Habib Reza, PhD.” Faculty profile, BRAC University. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://www.bracu.ac.bd/node/1077. Record
- Context BD 2024aContext BD. 2024a. “Exploring New Contextualism 2.0: An Approach to Architecture and Urban Design.” Context BD (events). Accessed October 19, 2026. https://contextbd.com/events/event/exploring-new-contextualism-2-0-an-approach-to-architecture-and-urban-design/. Record
- Heritage Council of Western Australia 2025Heritage Council of Western Australia. 2025. “State Heritage Conference 2025: The Heritage Ecosystem. Program.” Government of Western Australia. Accessed October 31, 2026. https://www.wa.gov.au/system/files/2025-05/state-heritage-conference-2025-2.pdf. Record
- UIA World Congress of Architects 2023UIA World Congress of Architects. 2023. “Mohammad Habib Reza.” Speaker profile, 28th UIA World Congress of Architects, Copenhagen. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://uia2023cph.org/speaker/mohammad-habib-reza/. Record