City facelift done in bad taste: IAB

The Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) has called for an immediate stop to the beautification of Dhaka city ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament arguing the designs were done in “bad taste”. In a media release, the institute condemned the renovation and called upon the government to constitute an advisory committee with representatives from professional bodies and the Institute of Fine Arts of Dhaka University (DU). The government has taken up Tk 1.15 billion beautification project in the city ahead of the T20 World Cup in March. Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium at Mirpur is the event’s main venue and the city is being decked up to welcome teams and tourists. But the architects’ professional group, IAB, has observed that glazed tiles were being used for cladding brick walls erected on road dividers. “These tiles are generally meant for use in toilets and kitchens,” it said, “such designs not only reflect bad taste, but they are also damaging the image of any 21st century city,” they observed, according to bdnews24.com.