Prof. Dr. Mohammed Mahbubur Rahman

Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University

Prof. Dr. Mohammed Mahbubur Rahman joined Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology as the Pro-Vice Chancellor on November 1 2021. Prior to this, he was having his own consultancy in Canada rendering design and educational services. Prof. Rahman, a graduate of the Department of Architecture at BUET, started teaching at his alma mater in 1985. Since then he has taught architecture, urban design and construction related courses at various institutions in Canada, UK, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia. He was a professor at North South University, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kingdom University Bahrain and Alasala University Saudi Arabia.

Prof. Rahman, a Commonwealth Scholar, has also been awarded the Leche Trust Scholarship and Sir Earnest Cassel Grant to complete his PhD in urban design and housing at the University of Nottingham (UK, 1990). He is also a Robert McNamara Fellow, one of only two Bangladeshi researchers who got this honor. In 1998 he was hosted by the World Bank in Washington DC to undertake a study on the role of the NGOs in urban poor’s housing in the developing countries. He has also rendered consultancy services to government[s] and international bodies such as the Ministry of Housing and Electricity, Sultanate of Oman, Malaysian Green Building Council, the World Bank, Asian development Bank, Commonwealth Foundation, Ford Foundation, Text Book Board, Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, etc. 

Other than the above, Prof. Rahman has undertaken a good number of funded research and other scholarly activities. These include Land Reclamation on Bahrain Waterfront, Digitizing Measured Drawings for Area Conservation in old Dhaka, Metropolitan Building Construction Rules, Sustainable Planning and Design of Government Social Housing in Oman, Documentation and Development of Heritage Database in Batinah Coast, Oman, Romance in Mud- Burindh architecture, Potential Role of NGOs in Urban Housing, Urban Poverty Reduction Program, Dhaka Structure Plan (Shelter Sector), Conservation of Old Dhaka historic buildings and surroundings, Multi-Storied Building for Solving the Urban Housing Crisis in Developing Countries, Feasibility of Housing Credit and Commerce Bank, Affordability and Options in Urban Lower-Middle and Middle-Income Housing, Measuring Housing Satisfaction, Annotated Bibliography on Housing, Urban Studies, and Planning, Dhaka’s Transportation- problems and prospects, etc.

Rahman has published over 110 papers in international journals and conferences on varieties of urban design, settlement development, heritage conservation, affordability, slums and housing rights, sustainability and environment, iconic architecture, global city, riverfront development, low-income housing, livability, and Dhaka-related topics. He has written 32 book chapters, and either authored or edited seven books, including Dhaka: an Urban Reader, Society, Architects and Emerging Issues, Old but New: New but Old and A Handbook of Waterfront Development. His book, City of an Architect, won the BAKU Book Prize last year. This book, a seminal work on Dhaka’s historic architecture, used 163 sketches made by the students of NSU and UTM. He is currently working on a book titled ‘Living with Water: development and urbanism in South Asia’ to be published by Routledge in the coming spring.  

Prof. Rahman was also served on the editorial panels of several international journals like Development Practice, Journal of Architecture and Planning Research, International Journal on Environment and Sustainable Development, Global Journal of Educational Research, Global Built Environment Review, Journal of International Society for the Study   of Vernacular Settlements, and Journal of Construction in Developing Countries. He has also contributed in the preparations of several nationally important documents such as the National Building Code, Dhaka Structure Plan, Housing Policy, Planning Bylaws, Charter of Housing Rights, etc.

Prof. Rahman has wide experience in curricula development, higher education quality assurance, teachers and staff training, and accreditation at home and abroad. He has either prepared or reviewed nearly four dozen university and polytechnic level curricula in varieties of areas like architecture, interior design, planning, urban design, construction engineering, project management, building inspection, facility and infrastructure management, etc. in Bangladesh, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Malaysia, and Canada. He has also offered relevant workshops and trainings to academic leaders and managers under different forums, including at the Bangladesh Accreditation Council, especially on Intrusive and Active Learning, Curricula Design, Alumni and Industry Feedback, Assessment, Institutional Listing, Curricula and Skill Mapping, Employability, Digital Empowerment, Outcome Based Education, Benchmarking, Learning Outcomes, Building Code, Self-Evaluation, Supporting Evidences, Teaching Excellence, Effective Learning, Planning Bylaws, Fire Safety, etc.

Rahman has served various administrative positions in academia including as the Dean of Engineering in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and HOD at NSU where he helped them in building image, increasing enrollment, and establishing Industry-Academia collaboration. Besides providing visionary leadership to educational entities including establishment of pioneering and innovative programs at home and abroad, Prof. Rahman was elected General Secretary of the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (2005-06) where among his major contributions are accountable and sustainable Building Constructions Regulations, establishment of architects’ right to design, introduction of membership interview, a system of accreditation of architecture programs, and continuous professional development. He has either chaired or sat in many professional and educational committees in last four decades at various local and international universities.  

Prof. Rahman used to contribute to government committees, community associations, and civil society and boards, and acted as a resource person and adviser to the ministries, e.g., works, housing, law, parliament, planning, and education, international bodies, and universities, on building code, housing policy, housing need, architects act, Aga Khan award, Asiatic Society, Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Boards, etc. He has also served students’ unions at BUET and Nottingham University and alumni associations in Malaysia and Canada. In the past, he has raised funds for poor and meritorious students and also collected and shipped huge volumes of learning resources from abroad to Bangladesh.

As an architect and urban designer, Rahman had an opportunity to design and lead several architectural (housing, industrial, institutional and civic), planning-urban design and interior design projects. Among the more notable of his works are the 30-storied Bangladesh Bank Building, 18-story Dilkusha Centre, 16-storied Sabbir Tower, 12-storied Kaniz Plaza & Hotel, 11-storied Housing Complex for 7 sector corporations, 11-storied Baitul Iqra, 10-storied HBFC HQ at Khulna, 6-storied Parjatan Corporation’s HQ, several apartment buildings, ALISCO Biscuit Factory, Yead Flour Mills, BUET Central Engineering Store, FAO-BADC Vegetable Seed Processing Centre, Philips Color TV Factory, Asiatic Society Fellowship Vaban, Bangabandhu Agri University Female Hostel, Road Research Laboratory, Habiganj and Khagrachari Colleges, Working Women’s Hostel, BKSP Gymnasium, Pagla Masjid & Madrasha Complex, Barabhaiya Mazaar, Peer Kashani Manjil, Old Delhi, Nottingham University Mosque,  International Community School, Oman, and several buildings in Sudan, Ghana, Calgary and Washington DC. His other projects include Jabl Omar Pilgrims Facilities Development, Makkah, Feasibility of Fairly House, BIWTA, Regeneration of a Degraded Urban Area, Stamford, UK, Asset Valuation of Hotel Purbani, Dhaka, and Master Plan of Ghatail Cantonment.  

A well-travelled person, Prof. Rahman was invited as speakers by universities and organizations at home and abroad, wrote newspaper features, and also appeared in national and international media. History, geography, math and physics are his favorite subjects. He used to play football and hockey during his student life, participated in debates, and was also a national general knowledge champion. He likes to travel, watch movies, read and write, and help others.