The Aga Khan Academy in Dhaka reimagines the school campus as a living, breathing landscape. It supports learning, wellbeing, and resilience within one of the world’s most densely populated urban regions with many climate challenges.
Located on a 20-acre site in the northeast of Dhaka, the residential school is part of a global network of Aga Khan Academies. The design, a collaboration between Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS), Dhaka-based Shatotto Architecture for Green Living, and Grant Associates, is deeply rooted in environmental performance, cultural continuity, and landscape-led planning.
Contextual and climatic intelligence
Set within the Ganges–Brahmaputra Delta, the site is prone to seasonal flooding, extreme humidity, and high temperatures. Urban density, pollution, and limited green space compound the environmental pressures on students and staff. The landscape strategy embraces these challenges by working with climate and ecology, not against them.
At its heart is a network of connected gardens, courtyards, shaded walkways, and green infrastructure designed to cool, protect, and inspire. Buildings are elevated to mitigate flooding, while rainwater is managed via swales, infiltration zones, and permeable surfaces. Indigenous planting creates biodiversity corridors and educational landscapes that promote ecological awareness.
Learning landscapes and wellbeing spaces
The campus is anchored by a large central Maidan, a large tree-lined field and the spiritual and social anchor of the site which is surrounded by a series of smaller courtyard gardens and linked by a continuous colonnade. These outdoor spaces are more than amenities, they’re integral to the educational model, providing areas for outdoor learning, reflection, sport, and social interaction.
In a city where public green space is rare, the Academy offers a vital “green lung” that promotes student health and delivers nature-connected education. Shaded seating, native sensory planting, and crafted details such as Jali screens and brick colonnades echo traditional Bangladeshi design while serving contemporary functions.
Cultural continuity, climate resilience
The landscape is shaped by regional narratives from the water-wise planning of ancient Islamic gardens to the courtyard traditions of early Buddhist universities. Working closely with Rafiq Azam and Shatotto, Grant Associates brought a planting-led approach to schematic design and supported implementation across later stages.
The result is a campus that celebrates Bangladesh’s architectural and ecological identity while enabling a progressive, inclusive, and sustainable learning environment.
Aga Khan Academy, Dhaka
Landscape Architect: Grant Associates
Collaborators: with Shatotto and FCBS
Images Credit: FCB Studios and Asif Salman