Bashirul Haq, a Bangladeshi architect, planner and educator, will be bestowed with ‘Hamidur Rahman Smriti Puroshkar 2018’ (Hamidur Rahman Memorial Award) for his outstanding contribution in art. The award giving ceremony will be held today at 5pm at Chhayanaut auditorium in the capital’s Dhanmondi area.

Veteran artist Monirul Isam and architect Nahas Khalil, among others, will be present as guests at the programme. The event will also screen a documentary titled ‘Bashirul Haq’.

Hamidur Rahman is a renowned artist of the 1950s and 60s, who is best known as the architect of the Central Shaheed Minar-a national monument in Dhaka depicting the language movement. In memory of the artist, his family members introduced the ‘Hamidur Rahman Smriti Puroshkar’ since 2007, with the Bengal Foundation organising the award giving ceremonies.

Earlier Monirul Islam received ‘Hamidur Rahman Smriti Puroshkar’ in 2007, Syed Jahangir in 2011, Rafiqun Nabi in 2013 and Murtaja Baseer in 2015.

Bashirul Haq is a prominent Bangladeshi architect, planner, and educator who designed over 300 buildings. He was influenced by revered architect Alvar Aalto and became known for incorporating his cultural roots into many of his designs.

He graduated from the National College of Arts in Pakistan in 1964. He then obtained a teaching assistantship at the University of New Mexico in 1971 under the John Heimrich Tuition, Scholarship.

He worked on the design for the University of Mexico while at the Boston architecture firm, Kallmann McKinnell & Wood. His most remarkable designed buildings include—Chhayanaut Bhaban, MIDAS Tower, East West University and others.

He received Aga Khan Award for Architecture, shortlisted in 1980, 1992 and 2001.