How can urban planners, architects, and engineers incorporate nature-based solutions to build resiliency and sustainability in our communities? The 9th annual Trottier Symposium on Sustainable Engineering, Energy, and Design, “Confronting Climate Change with Design for Resilience” which takes place virtually on September 13th, will explore this and other questions around sustainable engineering and design and climate-resilient living solutions.

In part two of our Q&A with the event’s featured guests, The Reporter spoke with internationally renowned architect and educator, Marina Tabassum.

Born and raised in Bangladesh, Tabassum founded Dhaka-based Marina Tabassum Architects in 2005. In her work, she seeks to establish a language of architecture that is contemporary yet reflectively rooted to place, always against an ecological rubric containing climate, context, culture, history. Her Bait Ur Rouf Mosque is distinguished by its lack of popular mosque iconography, its emphasis on space and light, and its capacity to function not only as a place of worship but also as a refuge for a dense neighborhood on Dhaka’s periphery.

Tabassum has taught at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Technical University, Delft, University of Texas, and Bengal Institute. She received an Honorary Doctorate from Technical University of Munich. In addition to Aga Khan Awards for Architecture, she has received many accolades including the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Gold Medal of the French Academy of Architecture and the Soane Medal in Architecture from the UK. Tabassum chairs Foundation for Architecture and Community Equity (FACE) and Prokritee (fair trade organization). She is a member of the Steering Committee of the Aga Khan Awards or Architecture.