Project Description

In the dense urban streets of Bangladesh, institutional boundary walls line the edges of our paths — tall, unyielding, and silent. These walls, meant to define and protect, have instead become symbols of neglect. They collect layers of torn posters, stains from misuse, heaps of waste, and construction spillover. For pedestrians, they create narrow, unpleasant passages; for the city, they are wasted urban edges that repel rather than welcome.

Beyond the Walls envisions these neglected barriers as living, breathing community stations. The design proposes a series of modular interventions along the wall, each transforming a sterile façade into a point of interaction. Seating pods invite rest and conversation; open libraries encourage sharing knowledge and exchange of books for those who are in need; planter boxes spill green into the street; graffiti panels open space for expression; shaded resting zones, solar charging docks, and waste collection features stitch activity back into the pedestrian experience.

This transformation works across three scales of healing:

• People – offering comfort, safety, and amenities to those moving through the street.

• Community – creating shared spaces that foster connection and belonging.

• Urban Spaces – reclaiming the city’s edges as active, multifunctional zones.

By reimagining a “line of separation” as a “line of connection,” Beyond the Walls seeks to turn the most passive surfaces of the city into catalysts of vibrancy. These once-forgotten edges become inclusive, functional, and beautiful — spaces that listen, speak, and belong to everyone who passes by.