Dhaka, Bangladesh– Water, as a source of life, ecology, memory, culture and resilience, takes centre stage in a new architecture competition titled “WATER AS LIFE: Celebrate Water Through Architecture.”

Organized by SHATOTTO architecture for green living in partnership with the Department of Architecture, BRAC University (SoAD), the competition invites architecture students and young professionals across Bangladesh to explore the relationship between water and the built environment through individual architectural ideas and interpretations.

The competition is open to architecture students and young professionals in Bangladesh aged 30 or below. Participants are encouraged to move beyond conventional perceptions of water as infrastructure and investigate its broader role in shaping communities, landscapes, public spaces, cultural memory and ecological systems.

The organizers describe the central premise of the competition through a simple but powerful statement: “Water is not merely infrastructure-it is life itself.”

Through the competition, participants are expected to consider how architecture can respond to water not only as a functional necessity, but also as an agent of social connection, environmental balance, cultural identity and resilience. The brief provides an opportunity for emerging architects to propose thoughtful architectural responses to one of the most fundamental elements of human and ecological existence.

A Study Tour to Bhutan

The winning participant will receive a fully sponsored seven-day study tour to Bhutan, providing an opportunity to experience the country’s distinctive relationship between architecture, landscape, ecology and natural resources.

The study tour is positioned as a significant part of the competition’s learning experience, allowing the winner to observe architecture and environmental practices within a different geographical and cultural context.

Who Can Participate?

The competition is open to:

• Architecture students in Bangladesh
• Young architecture professionals in Bangladesh
• Participants aged 30 years or below
• Individual entries only

The final jury will be held at BRAC University, Dhaka.

Important Deadline

The submission deadline for WATER AS LIFE is 28 September 2026.

Interested participants can review the complete competition brief and registration information through the official links provided by the organizers.

Competition Brief: View the Competition Brief
Registration: Register for the Competition

For queries and further information, participants may contact submission.shatotto@gmail.com.

With water increasingly central to conversations around climate change, ecological vulnerability, urbanization and resilient communities, “WATER AS LIFE” offers Bangladesh’s emerging architectural generation an opportunity to reconsider how architecture can engage with one of the planet’s most essential resources.

The competition ultimately asks participants to look beyond water as a technical concern—and to recognize it as life, landscape, memory, culture and a foundation for resilient futures.

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