Project Description

Historical buildings are more than just bricks and mortar; they are living containers of collective memory. They hold stories of past generations and the echoes of significant events. When a building is abandoned, its state of disrepair silences a community's shared memories, leaving emotions and history unhealed.

Healing is an emotional journey, and for a community, this journey can be undertaken through a shared re-engagement with its history and memory. By preserving and adaptively reusing historical architecture, these spaces of communal disappointment can be transformed into platforms for collective pride. The Jagati Railway Station, a 163-year-old station situated in Bangladesh’s cultural capital, Kushtia, is chosen for its dual identity: a monument of national pride as the country's first railway station, and a source of local sadness in its current abandoned state. This emotional disconnect presents a unique opportunity to heal the community by transforming the forgotten space into a vibrant hub where they can reconnect with history and celebrate their heritage.

The rejuvenation strategy transforms the site into a living historical narrative reclaiming the platform through dedicated gathering areas, green spaces, and a semi-permanent food court, inviting both locals and occasional passengers. Architectural details serve as tangible links to the past: resting spaces abstractly shaped like train wheels from the 1800s and new walls replicate using the traditional 'English cross bond' brickwork of the original building. The historic station building is adaptively reused, with the ground floor becoming a museum and souvenir shop to display railway history, while the first-floor functions as a multipurpose community room.

By fostering ownership and reactivating history, this approach empowers the community to heal their long-lost pride and renew their cultural identity