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Mohammad Foyez Ullah

Mohammad Foyez Ullah
MIAB M Arch Assoc. AIA
Foyez in 2021 at his office Volumezero Limited, Dhaka
Born1 January 1967
NationalityBangladesh
Alma materBangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
OccupationArchitect
SpouseMorsheda Nasmeen
Children2
ParentFather: AKM Woliullah Mother: Sultana Begum
PracticeVolumezero Limited
BuildingsAkij Pavilion 2020, Cox's Bazaar Railway Station, Arhams Tower.
ProjectsBashundhara Sports Complex and Bashundhara Kings Arena And Shahjalal Islami Bank HQ.
Websitewww.volumezeroltd.com

Mohammad Foyez Ullah (Bengali: মোহাম্মদ ফয়েজ উল্লাহ, born 1 January 1967) is a Bangladeshi architect.[1] He is the founder and principal architect of Volumezero Limited,[2] and was the co-founder of Vistaara Architects. He started his career as an educator and taught as an assistant professor at the Department of Architecture, BUET from 1994 until 1998.

Eventually he moved towards professional architectural practice as a designer and an entrepreneur in related fields.[3][4]

Early life, education and career

Mohammad Foyez Ullah was born on 1 January 1967 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to AKM Woliullah, a government service holder and entrepreneur, and Sultana Begum, a homemaker. Foyez received his Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1993 and Masters of Architecture degree in 1997 from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Soon after graduation in 1993, he married his fiancé, Morsheda Nasmeen, who formerly worked for BRAC until 1995 and later on joined and co-founded the same enterprises as Foyez. They have 2 children together. In the following year of 1994, he went back to BUET and taught there until 1998. He continued to be an educator in architectural schools across the country from BRAC University, North South University, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology to University of Asia Pacific.[5][3]

Foyez co-founded Vistaara Architects in 1994 and after more than a decade of partnership with Vistaara, he founded Volumezero Limited in 2008.[2] His early designed projects includes Bashundhara City,[6][7] which was the largest mall in South Asia and 3rd largest in the world when it was opened to the public on 6 August 2003 and is still one of the largest shopping malls in South Asia.[8][9] It was a mixed-use retail development and has been received the Superbrand status in 2009.[10] More of his early projects are, UTC, The Westin Dhaka,[6] PICL Bhaban and Shanta Western Tower, Grameenphone Corporate Headquarters,[11][6] (GP House).

Foyez has also known as a Green Building designer. U.S. Green Building Council's has accredited LEED Gold certification to various projects designed and built by Foyez's practice such as Simpletree Anarkali, Shahjalal Islami Bank Corp, Headquarters, and Simpletree Lighthouse.[12][13][14][15] Foyez is an editorial committee member of the Fire Safety and Protection section of Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC).[16][17] He is also an advisor of the monthly showcase, which is an art and architecture magazines of Bangladesh.[18]

Books

  • Foyez Ullah: Dhaka's Tropical Expressive Architecture, a book by Oscar Riera Ojeda Publishers, this book shows how Foyez's architecture has contributed to the society and people.[19]

Early projects

Bashundhara City

The mall Bashundhara City is located at Panthapath, Dhaka, and was opened to the public on 6 August 2004. The building complex is 19 stories tall and covers an area of 17,763 square meter. It is one of the largest shopping malls in South Asia. The mall has space for 2,325 retail stores and cafeterias, gymnasium, a cinema hall, a penthouse food court, an ice skating rink, a theme park, a fitness club, and a swimming pool. It also includes the 19-story corporate offices of the Bashundhara Group.[20]

Grameenphone corporate headquarters

Grameenphone's corporate headquarters (known as "GP House") is located at Bashundhara R/A, Dhaka and was formally inaugurated on 23 November 2010. GP House is considered as one of the most successful office buildings in Bangladesh.[21]

The Westin Dhaka

The Westin Dhaka is a Westin Hotel located at Gulshan Avenue in Dhaka. It is one of the tallest hotel in Bangladesh. It has 29 floors, and was completed in 2006.[22]

Major projects (2008–present)

Bashundhara Sports Complex

Sports complex including football stadium of Bashundhara Kings Arena.[23] It is the largest Sports Complex in Bangladesh, a total land area of 300 bigha (100 acre).[24][25][26][27][28]

Cox's Bazar railway station

Oyster shaped 6-storied iconic railway station near the bus terminal of the city of Cox's Bazar, and the shape which symbolizes Cox's Bazar Beach.[29][30]

Simpletree Lighthouse

Simpletree Lighthouse is a 14-storied commercial building. It has been certified by LEED Gold on 12th July 2021, for core and shell.[31]

Mika Cornerstone

Mika Cornerstone. Complexation 2015. Located in Uttara Dhaka, it is one of the tallest building in Uttara.[32]

Akij House

Akij House is the headquarter of one of the largest Bangladeshi industrial conglomerates.[33] It is located beside Tejgaon Gulshan Link Road. The design goal for the Akij House was to create an architectural piece that would reflect Akij Group's corporate vision.[34]

Sheraton Dhaka

A hotel by Marriott International which is located in Dhaka, The architectural expression of Sheraton Dhaka is borne out of Omni directionality. As a visual datum along the commercial spine the edifice would command visual importance and truly emerge as an iconic landmark in this city.[35]

Shahjalal Islami Bank Corp. Headquarters

It is the head-office of this bank. This building was LEED Gold certified on 6 February 2019.[14]

Simpletree Anarkali

This project is the first LEED certified core & shell project in Bangladesh. It stands 14 stories above ground with three basement levels and 143,189 square feet of gross usable spaces. In terms of energy consumption the building system achieves 12.57 percent reduction in energy cost.[13]

ICCB Bashundhara

Widely known as ICCB, it is the largest event space in Bangladesh, which is owned by Bashundhara Group.[36]

Awards

  • Six National Board of Revenue (NBR) Awards to being listed as the highest tax-paying architect in Bangladesh from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.[37][38][39]
  • Bangladesh Television National TV Debate Champion, represented Suhrawardy Hall Debate Team, BUET, 1990.[citation needed]
  • Ahsanur Rahman Gold Medal for the Masters of Architecture, from BUET in 1997.[citation needed]
  • IAB Design Award for design excellence in Multi-Family Housing,1998.[40]
  • Citation Award-winning entry, organized by IAB and PICL Authority in 1998.
  • Berger Excellence in Architecture Award[41] for designing Peoples Insurance Bhaban, 2007.[42]
  • Global Brand Excellence Award, 2007.[4]
  • Honourable Mention for Designing Liberation War Museum, Dhaka, November 2009.
  • Holcim Green Built Award for designing Grameenphone Corporate Headquarter (GPHouse), 2010.[43]

References

  1. ^ "IAB - Institute of Architects Bangladesh | Find an Architect". www.iab.com.bd. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Architect Mohammad Foyez Ullah". SHOWCASE. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b ভলিউম জিরো নিয়ে ফয়েজের স্বপ্ন. আনন্দ আলো (in Bengali). 23 June 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b Bhatia, Dr R. L. "World Brand Congress". worldbrandcongress.com. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  5. ^ বাণিজ্যিক স্থাপত্যের অনন্য মাইলফলক. Desh Rupantor (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Who works with us – Accord Holdings Ltd". Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Bashundhara City". worldarchitecture.org. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Asia's 'biggest' mall in Dhaka". The Daily Star. 10 April 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Bashundhara City". Porjoton. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  10. ^ Islam, A. K. M. zahidul. "Corporate Info". Corporate Info. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Grameenphone Corporate Head Quarter (GPHouse)". World Architecture.
  12. ^ "Simpletree Anarkali – An ode to a purist architectural response". SHOWCASE. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Simpletree Anarkali | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Shahjalal Islami Bank Corp. Headquarters | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Project Name : Simple Tree Light House". Green Tree BD. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) 2015 (Final Draft)". policy.asiapacificenergy.org. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  17. ^ Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC). Dhaka. 2015. pp. 7–8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ^ "About Us". SHOWCASE. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Foyez Ullah: Dhaka's Tropical Expressive Architecture". Oscar Riera Ojeda Publishers. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  20. ^ Islam, A. K. M. zahidul. "About City". About City. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  21. ^ "Grameenphone's house for inspiration and empowerment". Telenor Group. 25 November 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  22. ^ "Westin Dhaka". Archived from the original on 15 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. ^ "Bashundhara Sports Complex set to make history". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  24. ^ বসুন্ধরায় তৈরি হচ্ছে দেশের সর্ববৃহৎ ক্রীড়া কমপ্লেক্স. Desh Rupantor (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  25. ^ দেশের স্বার্থ-সমৃদ্ধির জন্যই 'বসুন্ধরা স্পোর্টস কমপ্লেক্স'. banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 17 February 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  26. ^ দক্ষিণ এশিয়ার সেরা ক্রীড়া কমপ্লেক্স হতে যাচ্ছে বসুন্ধরা মাল্টি স্পোর্টস এ্যারেনা. Janakantha (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  27. ^ "The Largest Private Sports Complex in Bangladesh". pebsteelalliance.com. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  28. ^ "Bashundhara Sports Complex – VOLUMEZERO Limited". Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  29. ^ "বহুমাত্রিক রূপে দেশের প্রথম আইকনিক রেলস্টেশন". Somoy TV (in Bengali). 27 March 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  30. ^ "An iconic, green railway station to elevate your Cox's Bazar experience". The Business Standard. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  31. ^ "Simpletree Lighthouse | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  32. ^ "Cornerstone Building – Mika Group". Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  33. ^ Rahman, Sajjadur (24 June 2009). "Akij Group to branch out into new avenues". The Daily Star. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  34. ^ "A Beacon in the Skyline - Akij House". SHOWCASE. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  35. ^ "Sheraton Dhaka". Marriott International. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  36. ^ "Venues - International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB)". alpha360.co. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  37. ^ "Top taxpayers call for widening tax net". The Daily Star. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  38. ^ "Bangladesh names 141 taxpayers for awards". New Age. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  39. ^ ১৪১ ব্যক্তি ও প্রতিষ্ঠান কর কার্ড পেল. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  40. ^ "IAB - Institute of Architects Bangladesh | IAB Design Awards". www.iab.com.bd. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  41. ^ "5th Annual Excellence in Librarianship Award". PsycEXTRA Dataset. 2010. doi:10.1037/e507452011-003. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  42. ^ "Peoples Insurance Bhaban". worldarchitecture.org. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  43. ^ "Short Bio of Mohammad Foyez Ullah" (PDF). Volumezero Limited.