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Frontiers of Architectural Research xxx (xxxx) xxx

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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Designing architectural continuity in a

historic urban quarter of Dinajpur,
Bangladesh
Abu Towab Md Shahriar a,*, S.M. Naeem Hossain Mithun a,
Dipa Saha a, Sazdik Ahmed b

a
Department of Architecture, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur-
5200, Bangladesh
b
Department of Architecture, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh

Received 27 September 2022; received in revised form 25 March 2023; accepted 4 May 2023

KEYWORDS Abstract This research paper examines the morphological transformation of the historic ur-
Architectural ban quarters (HUQ) adjacent to Maldah Patti in Dinajpur and provides guidelines for maintain-
continuity; ing architectural continuity in new constructions. The study employed a mixed-methods
Historic urban approach, including historical research, physical surveys, user interviews, design ethnography,
quarter; and participant experiences. The identified factors contributing to architectural degradation
Morphological in HUQ adjacent to Maldah Patti in Dinajpur include economy-focused considerations, lack
transformation; of awareness, municipal regulations, community sense, owner preferences, bureaucracy,
Physical and the architect’s lack of knowledge. The study identified physical characteristics of histor-
characteristics; ical structures in the HUQ, including location, ownership, present use, facade emphasis, style,
Urban fabric and pedestrian experience. The study recommends balancing historical continuity and socio-
economic development, designing elements to evoke historical ambience, acknowledging
functionality and spatial constraints, ensuring client participation, paying attention to detail,
taking inspiration from historic structures, deriving vertical and horizontal emphasis in the
façade, facing trade-offs and compromises, giving importance to communication, and paying
attention to security issues to achieve architectural continuity in HUQ.
ª 2023 Higher Education Press Limited Company. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf
of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: atmshahriar@hstu.ac.bd (A.T.M. Shahriar).
Peer review under responsibility of Southeast University.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.05.001
2095-2635/ª 2023 Higher Education Press Limited Company. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Please cite this article as: A.T.M. Shahriar, S.M.N.H. Mithun, D. Saha et al., Designing architectural continuity in a historic urban quarter
of Dinajpur, Bangladesh, Frontiers of Architectural Research, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2023.05.001
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A.T.M. Shahriar, S.M.N.H. Mithun, D. Saha et al.
1. Introduction
Historic urban quarters contain coherent entities of tradi-
tional architectural value with historical buildings. Historic
buildings play a significant role in civic life that connects
history and society, define the cultural context and urban
pattern, and are worthy of preservation, but the majority are
informal, without protection and management (Nilson and
Thorell, 2018; Sotoudeh and Abdullah, 2013). Historic
urban quarters are not independent and are also a part of the
economic dynamics of the rest of the city and should be
considered not only for preservation but as a concern for
enhancement and revitalization (Heath et al., 1996b). Mod-
ern urbanization and socio-economic development are
leading to a considerable increase in density and scale, which
is not only the danger of demolition but also creates a phys-
ical threat of ruining the historic urban areas’ historic envi-
ronment and character. International Council on Monuments
and Sites (ICOMOS) increases awareness among architects
and planners to ensure historic urban features must be
harmoniously integrated into contemporary civic life and
provides recommendations for safeguarding the beauty of
historic sites endangered by public and private works
(ICOMOS, 1976). It recommends that new buildings and de-
signs follow regulations to harmonize the historic spatial
organization and visual characters of the historic urban
quarter. However, due to the absence of interventional
guidance and preservation awareness, top-down architec-
tural characteristics are replacing the historic architectural
characteristics of historic urban quarters (Doratli et al.,
2004).
Dinajpur is one of the oldest towns in Bangladesh,
established in 1786 by the British government; by the rule
of permanent settlement, they declared the area as
Dinajpur district in 1793 (Ali, 2002). Dinajpur is located
beside the mythological Punarvaba River and the civic area
over the bed of a dead Ghagra river. The growth of the
historic urban fabric of Dinajpur started from a village
market town which was transformed into a city with
beautiful urban textures during the early colonial period.
However, the blue revolt of 1860 brought Marwari mer-
chants who brought radical changes in commerce, civic life,
urbanization, and architecture and became renowned as
“the town of Saat-Tola Aat-Patti” (seven nodes and eight
roads) and Maldah Patti, Kaiya Patti, and adjacent streets
became the town’s most lively commercial hub and an
inseparable civic core. Beautiful buildings, mainly two
storied with significant styles, were built for residential,
commercial, and official purposes in those historic urban
quarters (Ali, 2002) and are witnesses of time and the
carrier of the historic architectural characters.
Nevertheless, the current socio-economic development
led to urbanization is the current threat to the historic
urban quarters of Maldah Patti, Kaiya Patti, and adjacent
streets. Age-old land use is changing; tall new buildings
occupy the tiny plots of old buildings destroying the historic
visual characters, traditional scale, and congested envi-
ronment (Fig. 2) in small streets 6e9 m wide. Consequently,
old buildings and traditional urban spaces almost vanished
from the urban fabric, and very few buildings survived de-
molition due to legal ownership problems but faced
2
considerable degradation with altered functional purpose
and top-down architectural characteristics. Lacking
knowledge of historic architectural characteristics,
contextual awareness, and lack of preservation regulations,
building designers and architects are contributing with new
designs for developing these areas without considering the
historic fabric, which causes the loss of the legacy of the
city’s cultural heritage. Considering these scenarios, the
primary objectives of this paper are.
a) to explore the morphological transformation of the his-
toric urban quarter of Maldah Patti, Kaiya Patti, and
adjacent streets;
b) to identify the physical characteristics of historic
buildings to design architectural continuity in new
constructions.
2. Literature review
2.1. Classifying heritages in historic urban quarters
Historic urban quarters are part of the people’s daily envi-
ronment that represents the past’s living presence and hold
society’s values and diversity, which need identification of
morphological significance, spatial evolution analysis, and
analytical documents covering historical, architectural, and
economic importance data to care and protect (ICOMOS,
1976). There are three ways to define historic urban quar-
ters: exploring physical boundaries, identifying architectural
identity and character, and understanding functional and
economic linkages (Tiesdell et al., 1996). In the “Plan espe-
cial de protección e rehabilitación da cidade histórica”
(1997), old buildings of the ancient city of Santiago de
Compostela were classified into two categories of protec-
tion: listed and not listed. The listed buildings are classified
into four levels of protection related to heritage, architec-
tonic, and environmental values, and not listed edifices are
categorized into two groups in compliance or not with the
local image of the historic urban quarter (Lucchi et al., 2014).
All listed buildings of Santiago de Compostela have proposals
for possible interventions such as restoration, conservation,
rehabilitation, and partial or total restructuration, but
demolishing proposals for incompatible, not listed buildings
(Lucchi et al., 2014). The identification and listing process of
historic buildings can also consider; the architectural sig-
nificance of any specific time, social, economic, and cultural
history, proximity to a significant heritage building, and
appropriateness for adaptive reuse (Iffat, 2010). Imamuddin
(1993) classified historic structures into different categories
according to values: religious structures, landmarks, secular
structures, isolated individual buildings, comparatively
modest and isolated buildings, row buildings, roadside linear
buildings forming the integrated development pattern, and
palatial large building complexes (Imamuddin, 1993).
2.2. Design in the historic urban quarters
Future cities cannot evolve from the current confusion
without improving the consciousness of historic architectural
assets and the custodianship of the inherited past
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(Munasinghe, 2005). Making historic urban fabric a deter-
minant of city development is society’s ideological and po-
litical choices connected to architectural decisions (Ozaslan,
1995). Definable arrangements of spaces and activity pat-
terns, detailing in street fabrics, and traditional scale in the
historical heritage must be understood to enable the city’s
development in a timeless way rather than superimposing
borrowed building characters (Alexander, 1979). New
building within historic urban quarters has attracted inter-
national organizations such as The United Nations Educa-
tional, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which
emphasized at the 19th general conference that historic
architectural characters are vulnerable due to new de-
velopments (Körner, 1989). Consequently, protecting his-
toric urban places is necessary against the adverse effects of
transformations and misleading changes, and architects and
planners should ensure harmony and historic architectural
continuity in new building constructions (Kosun and Turan,
2020; Navickiene, _ 2012). ICOMOS Australia specified that
historic urban quarters require preservation from adverse
demolition and construction and preparing a guideline for
new construction activities (ICOMOS, 1976).
Correspondingly, regulations, and guidelines from
different authorities, such as English Heritage/CABE in the
UK and Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia in the
USA, - indicate architectural characteristics of new build-
ings to allow construction in historic urban quarters
(Barucco et al., 2007; Golding and Davies, 2001). Worskett
(1970) suggested two activities for conserving historic urban
quarters; firstly, to develop context-specific preservation
principles for HUQ, and secondly, to assess townscape
qualities to establish visual discipline in new designs
(Worskett, 1970). Visual discipline indicates ensuring visual
continuity of architectural characteristics with building
proportion system, solid void ratio, colors, textures, and
ornamental and formal details (Gomaa and Al-Sherbiny,
2022; Worskett, 1970). Further designing essential visual
attributes such as setbacks, massing and shapes, scale and
proportions, materials, colors, textures and openings, and
detailed architectural characteristics of decoration and
ornamentation contributes to compatibility and visual
continuity with old buildings (Brolin, 1980).
Moreover, new development of historic urban quarters
should respect spatial and visual characteristics of the
context by achieving harmonious relations with context-
specific spatial attributes of massing, sitting, street pattern
and enclosure, and architectural character of facade fea-
tures (Heath et al., 1996a). Besides, Semes (2007) proposed
adopting four different strategies for designedly and pres-
ervationist new construction: Literal replication, invention
within the same style, abstract references, and intentional
opposition (Semes, 2007). Literal replication proposes to
borrow direct attributes from historic buildings and in-
ventions within the same style and add closely related
styles compatible but differentiable from old buildings.
Abstract references propose to simplify details and deco-
rations from historic buildings with the attainment of gen-
eral aspects of shape, scale, and proportion, and
intentional opposition suggests achieving clear visual dif-
ferentiation between new and old with contrast style but
achieves primary aspects of surrounding buildings with
height, size, and prevalent rhythm (Barucco et al., 2007;
3
Semes, 2009). These strategies signify a variety of re-
sponses to the differentiated yet compatible designs for
infill creation in historic districts, and the strategy of
intentional opposition is the most debated because it can
interrupt the visual continuity of the context (Gomaa and
Al-Sherbiny, 2022). Sotoudeh and Abdullah (2013) showed
that, according to the residents, literal reproduction is the
best technique for infill design in a historic environment
and is their top choice; this result suggests that rather than
contrasting the setting, residents chose a building that
closely replicated it (Sotoudeh and Abdullah, 2013).
2.3. Approaches of new constructions in historic
urban quarters
This study examined new designs in historic sites and urban
quarters studied in previous literature and analyzed and
listed some architectural design approaches followed by
physical interventions in Table 1. Table 1 arranged case
studies in three HUQ compatibility levels: compatible,
partially compatible, and incompatible. Orbasli (2008),
Barucco et al. (2007), and Gomaa and Al-Sherbiny (2022)
presented some case studies which took design approaches
towards maintaining historical consistency and references
that make buildings compatible with the historical context.
Gomaa and Al-Sherbiny (2022) presented some design pro-
posals for enhancing the Inappropriate Visual Character of
Historic Sites of Urban Luxor, Egypt’s Avenue of Sphinxes.
They took strategies such as achieving harmony by altering
heterogeneous physical elements, simplifying visual ele-
ments of the new structure, and minimizing confusion and
monotony between old and new buildings with a sense of
variety (Gomaa and Al-Sherbiny, 2022). Physical in-
terventions include building color and finishes, building
heights and skylines, façade divisions, building lines and
setbacks, opening characteristics, decorative features and
details, and intervention in surrounding landscapes that can
be viable ideas to make new designs or existing inappro-
priate structures compatible with HUQ. Demiri (2013) pre-
sented three types of infill design approaches contrast,
referential, and differential infill (Demiri, 2013). These
approaches produce contrast infills in incompatible and
partially compatible buildings, which vary with differences
in physical interventions. However, referential, and dif-
ferential infill designs produced some innovative examples
of new designs in the HUQ. Sultana (2021) presented an
example of extending Doleswar Hanafia Jame Mosque,
Dhaka, designed with an intentional opposite idea to
respect historic buildings and maintained consistency with
building color, which is difficult to relate to its compati-
bility with the context because of inconsistent proportion
and scale (Sultana, 2021). Barucco et al. (2007) presented
row house, mid-rise building, and high-rise building design
approaches of abstract references and invention within the
same styles that produced some partially compatible
buildings in HUQ. The design elements, building materials,
proportions, or scales created a visual continuity in these
cases. However, the intentional opposite idea of creating
new industrial aesthetics in an infill house in the Washing-
ton Square West Historic District is entirely incompatible
with the historical context (Barucco et al., 2007).

A.T.M. Shahriar, S.M.N.H. Mithun, D. Saha et al.
Table 1 New design approaches for architectural continuity in historic environments.
Case study
1991 Extension of the National
Gallery in London (Orbasli,
2008)
2007 A new extension at Compton
Verney (Orbasli, 2008)
2010 A shop in Salisbury Cathedral,
England (Orbasli, 2008)
2002 A new market in London’s
Spitalfields (Orbasli, 2008)
1961 Extension of Quirine Stampalia
Palace, Venice (Orbasli, 2008)
2005 Best Infill House, Society Hill
Philadelphia (Barucco et al.,
2007)
1999 1-5 Davygate New retail
building, beside St. Helen’s
church (Golding and Davies,
2001)
1999 Extension Victoria Hall, Hanley,
Stoke-on-Trent (Golding and
Davies, 2001)
proposal Upgrading the Historic Luxor,
Sphinxes Egypt (Gomaa and Al-
Sherbiny, 2022)
2017 Extending Doleswar Hanafia
Jame Mosque, Dhaka (Sultana,
2021)
2002 Casa on the Campo del
Prı́ncipe, Granada (Demiri,
2013)
2008 Clinical Neuroscience Centre,
London (Demiri, 2013)
2008 “Golden Nugget”, Graz
(Demiri, 2013)
2011 “House Box”, Athens (Demiri,
2013)
2002 Row Houses at Society Hill,
Philadelphia (Barucco et al.,
2007)
2005 Mid-Rise Housing: Beaumont,
Old City Historic District
(Barucco et al., 2007)
Proposal Proposals for Highrise
Residential: 218 Arch Street,
Old City Historic District
(Barucco et al., 2007)
2012 The Topazz hotel, Vienna, (p.
48) (Demiri, 2013)
1925 Café De Unie, Rotterdam,
Netherlands (Demiri, 2013)
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Design approaches
Sequentially simplifying
historical elements in design
Appreciating historical
significance and details
Nurturing interrelatedness of
new with old structures
Imitating historical styles and
old pedestrian experience
Using contemporary materials
without affecting vintage
Developing firm reference with
historic style
Continuity with historical
precedents with modernity
Abstract referential design
without imitating old
Modifying inconsistencies,
simplifying elements, and
distinguishing old and new
intentionally opposite, a simple
separate building
A contrast infill design to
emphasize the old
A referential infill design
Referential infill design
Differential infill design
Abstract reference with
intentional opposition
Abstract referential design
Invention within the same style
at the podium but intentional
opposition in tower design
Unusual contrast infill design
Contrast Di Stijl form against
neighboring neoclassical
4
Physical intervention Compatibility
Minimized façade details with Compatible
new building materials
Carefully installed new
elements of the extension
Transitional space’s
transparent roof created visual
integrity
Rebuilt the historic elevation
with stylistic precedents
Well-integrated modern
addition with a backyard
garden
Consistently followed historical
height, street line, and
experience
Enhance views of St. Helen’s
church, echoing old details
with modern materials
Set back enhances old building,
homogeneity with modern
terracotta color
Maintained similarity in color,
finishes, heights, façade
division, and opening
Characteristics
Simple façade and color Partially
enhanced the emphasis of the compatible
old mosque
Created the contrast with
color, scale, and simple form
Created reference with a
horizontal slab and vertical fins
The primary reference is color;
sloping roof and large windows
designed with horizontal lines
A balcony and building windows
offer a historic analogy, while
solid form creates a contrast
An unusual roofline but
traditional materials establish
a relationship
Reference maintained with the
street line, wall surface, and
material continuity, with rare
height and window features
Over dominating height
created with a simplified
façade and similar material at
the podium, but the contrast in
the tower
Contemporary contrast façade, Incompatible
maintaining historic scale and
solid void relationship
Identical and isolated infill
building with contrasting
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Table 1 (continued )
Case study
1995 An infill house in the
Washington Square West
Historic District (Barucco et al.,
2007)
Design approaches
buildings
Intentionally opposite with an
industrial aesthetic
Physical intervention Compatibility
Mondrianesque composition
Unlikely lowered height,
discontinuing wall surface,
Inconsistent Façade, unlikely
pedestrian experience, and
contrasting materials and
details

3. Methodology 1997e2000 from the Government land office of Dinajpur to

3.1. Study area
In the Mughal period, the government of Ghoraghat was the
nearest urban area to present Dinajpur. After the Palashi
War of 1765, the British ruler shifted the secretariates to-
wards the Rajbari of Dinajpur Mouza and established the
Dinajpur district in 1793 (Ali, 2002). Historians say Dinajpur
was the city of Saat tola Aat Patti (Ali, 2002). Sat tola or
seven nodes are named Ganesh Tola, Nimtola, Shashti Tola,
Kali Tola, Lokkhi Tola, Bokul Tola, and eight pattis or
streets are named Maldah Patti, Kaiya Patti, Churi Patti,
Basunia Patti, Shakhari Patti, Dhakal Patti, Chaulia Patti,
and Thonga Patti. Dinajpur is divided into 26 wards, but the
number of Tolas and Pattis remained the same (Shahriar
et al., 2017). In 1808 the city was divided into four signifi-
cant sectors, Rajganj, Kanchan-Ghat, Paharpur, and Pulhat,
and Rajganj near Ghagra River was the essential business
zone of the town (Ali, 2002). The Blue Revolt of 1860
evicted the trade of blue, which caused white merchants to
reduce their businesses, and Marwari merchants began to
enter Dinajpur for business. They established the Rajganj
as Kaiya and Basunia Patti for metal business, Maldah Patti
for textile business, Gudri Bazar, Churi Patti, and Nimtola
for rice, food produce, jute, and jute product enterprise.
They developed the most vibrant business district as the
Liver of the town (Ali, 2002). This study selected the most
vibrant and historically rich areas surrounding Kaiya Patti
and Ghagra Canal, connected with Kalitola and Nimtola;
Goru-Hati, Basunia Patti, Gudri Bazar, Kaiya Patti, Maldah
Patti, Churi Patti, and Bancharampul road, which Marwari
merchants develop. This area, the oldest urban streets of
Dinajpur, had rich and diverse architectural characteristics,
but current development puts these historical urban fabrics
at risk of disappearance and substantial degradation. Many
old buildings have disappeared and been replaced by new
buildings or are in the disappearing approach. Some historic
structures have been damaged, extended, redeveloped, or
shifted in functional form. Very few buildings remained the
same with historical fabrics for reasons like legal ownership
problems.
3.2. Data collection
This study collected the Cadastral Survey (CS) map of
1934e1936 and the Revisional Survey (RS) map of
conduct the morphological analysis of the study area.
Streets of the area were visited several times to identify
existing old buildings in both the CS and RS maps, and
sample historic buildings were selected for further inquiry.
Selected buildings are photographed and observed in
detail, related public activities with the building are
observed, and their functional necessity is explored. After
confirming the antiquity of historic buildings, this study
conducted structured and semi structured interviews with
all historic building owners and newly designed building
owners for the historical background of the building, con-
struction period, materials, present use, maintenance and
design and construction process of new structures. Inter-
view data were collected in written form. Building owners
have conveyed the purpose of this study, and verbal con-
sent was taken for the further use of the data. The first
author also used participant observation data to conduct
this study as the author lived in this city from childhood and
participated in an architectural design and construction of
a motel building at Maldah Patti.
4. Results
4.1. Morphological transformations of the area
According to the CS map record, there were 108 old
structures in 1936 (Fig. 1(a)), but this study found only 38
old buildings in the study area’s present urban fabric
(Fig. 1(b)). Among the 38 old buildings, 14 buildings
remained unchanged in the present time but are torn and
damaged due to lack of maintenance and environmental
calamities, and 23 buildings are partially changed and
enlarged for functional needs and repair works. In this ex-
amination, only 26 buildings had notable historical archi-
tectural features that evoked an earlier, more distinctive
style. Old fabric had one, or two-storied buildings existed in
the past, but new constructions are more than two-storied,
and even seven to ten-storied buildings are being con-
structed along these 6 me9 m streets and changing the
historic skylines; however, municipal rules 1996 refer, there
is no quota for the construction of buildings of more than
four floors in several streets of this area. Violations of
building heights and setback rules are common scenarios in
this town. Data from the survey revealed five categories of
overall morphological modification of historic structures in
the studied area. Examples included (1) new buildings with

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A.T.M. Shahriar, S.M.N.H. Mithun, D. Saha et al.

Fig. 1 (a) CS map of study area showing historical buildings that existed during 1936. Source: Government Land office Dinajpur.
(b) Present scenario of morphological changes of historic urban fabric. Base map source: RS map from Government Land office
Dinajpur; interpretations from Shahriar et al. (2017).

incompatible styles (Fig. 2); (2) old buildings damaged by
maintenance issues; (3) old buildings repaired with an
inappropriate style; (4) the old building has been partially
extended with the appropriate style; and (5) new buildings
constructed with compatible styles.
4.2. Factors affecting new constructions
According to respondents, increasing land value, develop-
ment needs, and lack of specific regulatory control are
primary factors for inappropriate new construction in HUQ.
The data suggest that a respondent and the architect
involved in the project may not have given adequate
attention to the site’s historical significance. Their primary
focus seems to be on socio-economic growth, with little
regard for preserving the historical building styles of the
area. Furthermore, the architect worked remotely from
another capital district and may not have comprehensively
understood the site’s dimensions, placement, and historical
importance. The respondent has expressed dissatisfaction
with the old styles of architecture present in the area,
citing current functional needs that require a more spacious
span of buildings. The respondent showed less attachment
to the area, did not live in Dinajpur, and only developed the

Fig. 2 Some newly constructed buildings at Maldah Patti and Kaiya Patti. Source: authors.

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site for income generation. Besides, it can be inferred from
another that the architect responsible for designing the
building worked remotely. The architectural design
employed for the structure involved a modern approach,
incorporating modern details. Notably, the architect did
not appear to the respondent to advocate for maintaining
historical continuity in the area.
Due to the provisions of the Act of 1996, many new de-
signs employ more structural engineers than architects in
the design and construction process. No new building owner
also claimed that an architect or structural engineer had
advised them on maintaining styles or exhibiting respect for
historic structures. According to the code 1996 of Dinajpur
Pourasava permission, even diploma engineers can erect
four storied buildings in the town without any concern of
architects. Architects get involved only when buildings
need the approval to construct more than four stories.
The historic area of Dinajpur is in danger of losing its
cultural identity and built-environmental history due to
these top-down design practices that obliterate old mem-
ories of the place. Ignorance of the HUQ is manifold, but
primary factors are Economic considerations, lack of
awareness or appreciation, lack of municipal regulations
and guidance, lack of a sense of community, owners’ aes-
thetics and personal preferences, bureaucracy limiting ar-
chitects’ involvement, and architects’ lacking awareness
about architectural style are primary factors that need to
be addressed.
4.3. Historic physical characteristics of the area
The physical characteristics of a historic urban quarter can
be viewed as the combination of the characteristics of the
individual buildings and the spaces among them, but the
total is always more significant than the sum of the parts;
discussing the integration of new development into HUQs
can be usefully done by considering the features of indi-
vidual buildings (Heath et al., 1996a).
4.3.1. Traditional space system and sitting
Traditional lot sizes and existing street layouts make it
possible for smaller grains of structures to be integrated
harmoniously. Three types of Space systems are visible
among studied buildings (Table 2)(Figs. 3e9). Most of them
contribute to figural spaces because they define spaces
with streets; six of them are presented as hybrid space
systems as they exert both qualities of being an object at
the street junction and also defining space with the streets,
and only one building represents itself as figural buildings as
its becoming object in a field beside the road (Fig. 9). It
(Maizdi Kuthi) appears as an object in space and is discon-
nected from the streetscape and commercial accessibility
because it is historically a residential building of a sizeable
elite complex now functioning as a college office building.
Old buildings with only one or two stories and various
heights and street frontages produce the traditional
streetscape. There is both homogeneity and heterogeneity
in the frontal façades. Heterogeneity in more considerable
formal expression but homogeneity in minor details; uniq-
uity is the art of its historic urban fabric. Table 2 shows that
7
buildings create lofty and intimate scales with pedestrian
experiences. The historic outward-facing urban blocks of
the study area contributed to a well-defined public realm
that subsidizes pedestrian comfort, barrierless accessi-
bility, and economic values. Building sitting patterns do not
leave gaps between them, but high-quality, well-propor-
tioned frontal semi-outdoor spaces create positive spatial
externalities. The respondent mentioned that immediately
getting off the rickshaw, people get semi-outdoors, which
brings comfort during hot days, and the barrierless free
layout of floors increases the shopper’s convenience, and
the historic stylistic ambience enhances commercial sig-
nificance. Deep verandahs of the frontal facades of com-
mercial or mixed structures provide comfort for shopping,
gathering, gossiping, and having street foods. Permeable
characters enhance accessibility from the street, where
people sit, stand, wait, and shop (Figs. 3(b), 4(a) and 8(b)).
The buildings’ shallow plinth and drain slab heights enable
barrier-free accessibility while bringing retail goods closer
to pedestrians and boosting sales of commodities that raise
the historical structures’ monetary value and contemporary
significance. Even seller responders indicated that cus-
tomers occasionally purchase small items while sitting in a
rickshaw (Figs. 4(d) and 7(d, f)), which is rare in new con-
structions. Another significant feature of these deep ve-
randahs is stairs at the middle or corners, which lead
building owners towards the upper residential floor, giving
these buildings a mixed-used functionality.
Historic buildings stand on the street lines without set-
backs at the front, and the front edge is similar in Kaiya
Patti, Churi Patti, and Basunia Patti; but in Goru Hati and
Maldah Patti, there is a variation on front edges (Fig. 7(a,
f)). However, most streets in study areas are incredibly
vibrant for shopping, but Goru Hati street was residential. A
single Monosha temple is open to the public, and a husking
mill and a pie shop with a tin-shaded frontage increase
people’s engagement with the historic building (Fig. 3(c)).
4.3.2. Traditional street pattern and urban grain
The organic growth of the permeable streets of this HUQ
has remained unchanged. Primary streets have connecting
streets just after 2 to 5 building intervals and offer a varied
and more accessible shopping experience to the users.
These cross-connecting streets have increased the number
of nodes, which has enhanced the historic nodal buildings’
visibility and aesthetic appeal (Figs. 5(a, b), 7(b, c)).
Streets are 6 me9 m wide but narrow in some places. The
fine-grained urbanism of this historic urban quarter has
diversified ownerships distributed in tiny plots, which al-
lows people to find more shopping opportunities within
walking distance (Figs. 4(a) and 6(c)). Street front grain size
varied from 5 m to 27 m; bigger facades have a more sig-
nificant number of horizontal divisions and do not create
too lofty a scale (Fig. 3(c)). Again, smaller front facades are
lofty for the vertical building elements (Fig. 5(a)). Ac-
cording to respondents, diversified ownerships increase the
publicness and sociability of the place. People can get
various goods within shorter distances, and respondents
mentioned that all everyday products are available there.
Vendors informally use unused historic buildings with no
 Table 2 Physical characteristics of Historical buildings of HUQ of Maldah Patti, Kaiya Patti and adjacent streets of Dinajpur.
Fig ref. Location Ownership Present use Facade emphasis Style Pedestrian experience Space
system
3(a) CS-1662, RS-4789 Vested Residence Vertical with pillared verandahs; Square column & capital, Pillared verandah Figural
horizontal with two-layer cornices ornamental façade & spaces
railing, spiral stair,
projected cornice, arched
parapet
3(c) CS-1663, RS-4787 Vested Husking mill and temple Horizontal with terrace and cornice Arched parapet, segmental Functionally separate
arch, projected cornice verandah
CS-1719, RS-4840 Vested Club, shop Horizontal arcuated form Semicircular arch, Small arcuated verandah
projected cornice
5(a),1 CS-1716, RS-4835 Private Shop Horizontal arcuated form Pointed arch, projected Small arcuated verandah

A.T.M. Shahriar, S.M.N.H. Mithun, D. Saha et al.

cornice
5(a),2 CS-1715, RS-4834 Private Shop and residence Vertical with column, arcuated Projected cornice, column Small, deep pillared
window and pediment capital, segmental arch, verandah
curvilinear pediment
5(a),3 CS-1712, RS-4833 Private Shop and residence Horizontal with projected base, Projected base and Shallow Open verandah
verandahs & repeated cornices cornices, semicircular
arches, iron

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ornamentations, perforated
parapet, circular
8

CS-2022, RS-4913 Private
5(c) CS-2018, RS-4907 Private
4(b) CS-1755, RS-4738 Vested
ventilators, ornamental
drop wall, mezzanine floor
Shop and residence Horizontal layers with projected base Projected base and Shallow Open verandah
and two verandahs cornices, semicircular
arches, iron
ornamentations, perforated
parapet, ornamental drop
wall
Shop Horizontal with a verandah and roof Projected base, bracketed Shallow Open verandah
cornice cornice, mezzanine floor,
segmental arches, iron
ornamentations
Pollical office Horizontal with terrace, roof cornice Segmental, semicircular and Deep Arcuated verandah
multifoil arches, capital,
bracketed cornice,
ornamental drop wall,
square column, ornamental
railing, inclined sunshade
 4(a),1 CS-1763, RS-4854 private Restaurant Horizontal form with vertical arches Semicircular arch, Shallow Tin shade
mezzanine floor, projected verandah, arcuated door
cornice, perforated
parapet, ornamental door
4(a),2 CS-1764, RS-4854 private Shop & residence Horizontal with cantilevered Multifoil arch, stucco Shallow Open verandah,
verandah ornamentation, projected arcuated door
cornice
4(c) CS-1756 private Residence Vertical with arcuated verandahs & Semicircular arch, Arcuated verandah
pillars projected cornice, brick
pointing, perforated
parapet, capital
4(d) CS-1732, RS-4748 private Shop Horizontal Projected base, vertical Corbeling parapet, Flat shop front
with cresting parapet projected cornice, capital

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6(c) CS-2041, RS-4896 private Shop & residence Horizontal with cornices, verandah, Column capital, decorative Deep open verandah
and parapet drop, projected cornice,
perforated railing, stucco
details
6(d) CS-1985, RS-5188 Private Shop and residence Horizontal with cornices and Column capital, decorative Deep open verandah
verandah, vertical with small column drop, projected cornice,
perforated railing, stucco

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MODEL
7(a) RS-24 Vested Shop and residence Horizontal with base & tin shade Ornamental tin eaves, Shallow openverandah
9

verandah, vertical with inclined roof cantilevered form, pitched

roof
7(c) RS-2 Vested Shop & residence Vertical with column and horizontal Segmental arch, column Shallow open verandah
with cornice and segmental arches capital, projected cornice,
Decorated tin eaves,
perforated railing, inclined
shade
7(e) CS-2083, RS-5290 Vested Shop Horizontal with verandah and cornice Square column, capital, Deep open verandah
perforated rail, triangular
pediment
7(f) RS-19 Private Shop and residence Horizontal with verandah and Ornamental tin eaves, Shallow open verandah,
projected inclined roof ornamental iron post, high plinth
projected cornice, pointed
arch
8(a) RS-5324 Vested Residence & shop Horizontal with arcuated verandah & Semicircular arch, column Arcuated verandah
floor base capital, projected cornice,
triangular pediment
8(b) CS-2047, RS-4889 vested Shop & residence Vertical with arches, horizontal with Semicircular arch, capital, Arcuated verandah
verandah projected verandah
3(b) CS-1746, RS-4763 Private Residence Horizontal arcuated form Semicircular arch, Small arcuated verandah Hybrid
projected cornice, keystone
(continued on next page)
 Table 2 (continued )
Fig ref. Location Ownership Present use
5(b) CS-2017, RS-4906 Private
6(b) CS-1996, RS-4874 Vested
Facade emphasis Style Pedestrian experience Space
system
Shop and residence Vertical with pillared verandah, and Circular column, decorative Pillared lofty verandah
windows capital, projected cornice,
segmental and semicircular
arch, curvilinear parapet,
stucco ornamentation
Shop & residence Vertical with arcuated verandah, Venetian and semicircular Deep arcuated verandah
horizontal with cornice and quoins arch, decorative quoins,
repeated cornice,
perforated parapet,
curvilinear pediment,

A.T.M. Shahriar, S.M.N.H. Mithun, D. Saha et al.

ornamental railing,
ornamental stair, high
plinth, capital
6(a) CS-2058, RS-5310 Vested Shop & residence Vertical with arches and posts, Semicircular and segmental Deep arcuated verandah
horizontal with cornices, and drop arch, decorative metal post,
wall decorative wooden drop
7(b) CS-1955, RS-5260 Vested Shop Vertical with two layer arcuated Bracketed cornice, Deep open verandah

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MODEL
verandah; horizontal with cornices semicircular arch, arched
10

parapet
7(d) RS-1 Private Shop Horizontal with vertical arches Segmental and semicircular Flat shop front
arches, exposed brick
pointing, key stone
9 CS-2642 Vested Institution Vertical with arches, staircase, Pointed arch, venetian arch, Open ground and Figural
hexagonal form, horizontal with semicircular arch, circular arcuated verandah buildings
terrace and cornices column, projected cornice,
umbrella dome, quoins,
ornamental ventilator,
ornamental glass window,
brick pointing, jail, Marlon
parapet, perforated
parapet, tiled roof,
ornamental finial,
ornamental iron work,
ornamental iron railing
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Fig. 3 Residences with a permeable space system at Goru Hati road: (a) two-storied residence with column-supported verandahs;
(b) one storied residence with arched verandahs; and (c) two-storied terraced residence with a monosha temple and husking mill.
Source: authors.

Fig. 4 Buildings from Basunia Patti: (a) two-storied terraced residence with shops; (b) two-storied office building; (c) two-storied
residence; (d) one storied pitch roofed shop. Source: authors.

maintenance without a legal owner (Fig. 8(a, c)). The width
of the streets was enough in the past for less traffic like
rikshaw or motorbikes. Crossroads are only accessible by
rickshaws, vans, and pedestrians; nevertheless, current
socio-economic development and new tall buildings raise
accessibility pressure for cars and mechanized vehicles and
generate severe traffic congestion.
4.3.3. Traditional massing, height & proportion
Traditionally massing of historic buildings is heterogeneous
but expresses unity with architectural styles. One-storied
buildings are in two types: flat-roofed and pitched-roofed
ones. Two-storied buildings are found in six types of mass-
ing. According to the relation with streets, one type
entirely follows the street lines and maintains the
continuity of the facade, and another partially steps back
and creates a break into façade continuity to allocate a
secondary entrance for a small resting room for guests
(Figs. 3(a) and 5(b)). According to roofing characters, four
types of massing are visible: with terrace, with dome and
terrace (Fig. 9), without terrace, and pitched roofed
buildings. One-and-a-half-storied massing is also visible in
this HUQ, which has mezzanine floors with internal stair use
as a storage area (Fig. 6(c)). Overall building heights are
varied from 4 m to 9 m and do not create any flat skyline
(Table 2). Even side by side, two-storied buildings do not
have the same heights (Fig. 5(a)). Perforated parapets and
solid triangular or curvilinear pediments of the buildings are
vital components that make the overall street massing
harmonious with the sky. An intimate proportioning system

Fig. 5 Smaller grains of urban blocks with visual varieties at Churi Patti: (a) one and two storied mixed-used buildings with
different heights; (b) two storied mixed-used buildings with lower lofty pillared verandah; (c) one storied commercial building with
an inner mezzanine floor. Source: authors.

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Fig. 6 Mixed used buildings with similar space systems and proportion but different in visual styles at Kaiya Patti: (a) lower
intimate arched verandah with the lofty upper floor with iron post and wooden drop; (b) homogeneous arched verandahs on both
floors; (c) verandahs with column and screen drop and railing; (d) lower level directly opens to the street and upper-level verandah
is sculpted with column and screen rail and drops. Source: authors.

Fig. 7 Visual and spatial contrasts of historic buildings at Maldah Patti: (a) two storied mixed-used buildings with the corrugated
iron roof; (b) two storied mixed used with arcuated deep verandahs; (c) lower shop directly opens to the street, but the upper
verandah articulated with a column with capital; (d) single storied shop with exposed brick details; (e) two storied shop and motel
with deep square colonnade verandah; (f) single storied shop with slope iron roofed verandah. Source: authors.

Fig. 8 (a) Single storied building with an arcuated verandah at Bancharam pool road, (b) arcuated verandah used by vendors at
Kayia Patti, (c) street front spiral stair at front verandah. Source: authors.

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Fig. 9 Maizdi Kuthi; Only evidence of a building that is fragments of a spacious palatial historic residential complex: (a) collected
image of before 1987, source: Ali (2002); (b) present condition after earthquake damage and repair works; (c) beauty of hexagonal
form with umbrella dome and quoins details of Maizdi kuthi. Source: authors.
is maintained through the streets of HUQ. Facades are not
solid enough to create any lofty scale, although some
building heights seem lofty due to vertical emphasis. Hor-
izontally, it is fashionably maintained with different styles
of articulations.
4.3.4. Façade compositions and architectural styles
The bilateral façade composition is this place’s primary
façade style of historic buildings. Almost all two-storied
buildings maintained this style with variations in façade
emphasis. However, unilateral façade composition was
observed in one-storied buildings. Arches, columns, pedi-
ments, parapets, pitched roofs, towers, stairs, and window
openings all contribute to the building’s dominant vertical
emphasis. The ground floor projection, column bases and
capitals, quoins, one- or two-layer cornices, terraces, and
prolonged sloping roofs contribute to the horizontal
emphasis (Table 2). With all emphasis elements, historic
buildings’ facades are broken into small pieces that make
buildings intimate to human scale.
Frontal deep verandahs are identical architectural fea-
tures of the ground floors. These verandahs are articulated
mainly with similar small semi-circular and true arches that
create deep shadows on the verandah, create an intimate
scale for people, and enhance the permeability of the
ground floor and visibilities of upper floors (Figs. 3(a) and
4(b, c), 6 (a, b), 7(b), 8 (a, c)), this feature is the primary
horizontal rhythm of this historic urban realm. The visual
intensity of decorative details is not very prominent; it does
not catch the eye for a long time because of the size of the
buildings, but it increases the publicness; however, the
Maizdi-Kuthi has the most intense decorations among all
and the three-sided visibility. Some verandahs have
different sizes and styles, such as Venetian, semi-circular,
triple, and segmental arches in a single façade (Fig. 6(b)
and 9(b)). Some verandahs have lofty scales gained with
giant circular brick columns (Fig. 5(b)) or square shape
columns (Fig. 7(e)) with decorative bases and capitals, but
the design does not ignore permeability. Some ground-floor
verandahs are articulated with plain columns or walls with
iron beams supporting upper floors (Fig. 5(a, c)). Some
historic buildings have unique, different verandah fabrics,
roofed with the tin shade supported by circular iron posts
that create more openness towards streets (Fig. 7(a, f)).
13
Deep verandahs have another feature of the stair; two-
storied structures have stairs like open newel or spiral and
allow circulation to the upper floor, a unique feature of the
place. Some ground floors do not have verandahs but have
arcuated doors and shutters directly connecting the inner
shop with the street (Figs. 4(a, d), 7(c and d)) and prominent
character for window shopping in these shops; people do not
need to enter the building they can buy goods from standing
on streets. Upper floor verandahs have decorative railings
made of cast iron, iron with a wooden top, or lime mortar
works. Upper verandahs have frontal drops or arches that
reduce the space’s loftiness and protect it from rain and sun;
one unique feature is articulated with a wooden decorated
drop wall supported by a circular iron post with decorative
iron capital (Fig. 6(a)). Different from many but unique
features, side entrances are visible in some buildings of this
place, which are shaped with archways, but the indoor space
directly opens towards the streets. Projected raking cornices
from floor levels are a very prominent feature of these
buildings, which is common in almost every piece of evi-
dence, which makes the scale of the buildings intimate and
acts as a significant climatic feature of the context. Among
all evidence, two buildings have a terrace towards the street
front fenced with decorated parapets. Besides, decorative
metal ventilators in the circular form are typical features in
facades. Terraces are placed with adjacent semi-outdoor
verandahs that act as a transitional space between the in-
door room and outdoor terrace, a significant climatic feature
of the context. Parapets of the historic buildings are perfo-
rated and articulated with small arches and projected cop-
ings. Some parapets are found with posts extended from
columns and lower-level column references. The use of
metal rain spouts and raking cornices, and decorative metal
ventilators are visible. Pediments with roofs are another
prominent feature of this HUQ; triangular and curvilinear
pediments with flower decorations with plaster are visible in
the place. Doors and windows are sculpted with different
arches or iron beam styles, whereas segmental and semi-
circular arches are typical. Wooden pivoted windows are
primarily visible features, and double-pivoted, collapsible
paneled wooden doors are found as primary door features.
Florally decorated screens of cast iron are used over the door
frames and are also seen as historical features in some
buildings.
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4.3.5. Historic building materials
Historical buildings of this place are primarily constructed
with Bick masonry work done with lime mortar, mainly
finished with plaster and paint. However, three buildings
are found finished with exposed brick finishes with color
(Figs. 4(c), 7(d) and 9). Arches and columns are constructed
with masonry brickworks. Even-incredibly round columns
are made of bricks, which are burnt as part of circles. Some
buildings are finished with exposed brickworks, which can
be a variety of typical styles. Floor slabs are constructed
with the iron rafter-purlin method, topped with burnt tiles,
and finished with tile or mosaics. Stairs are also made with
the same structure systems. However, spiral stairs are
made of cast iron. Doors and windows are made of wood
and secured with plain iron bars. The railing is made of iron
bars with a wooden top, and lime mortar with support of
iron bars is standard. Some unique buildings are different in
construction techniques, such as corrugated iron roofed
buildings available in the area but have historical value.
Those building floors are constructed with wooden beams,
but support burnt tiles for flooring.
5. Learning from a design exercise
A design and construction experience towards maintaining
architectural continuity in HUQ involved researchers in
finding dynamics of balancing among preservation and
socio-economic needs (Fig. 10).
5.1. Balancing historical continuity and socio-
economic development
The architect faced the challenge of balancing the client’s
need for a six-storied building and the desire to preserve the
site’s historical legacy of one or two storied structures. To
address this challenge, the architect used two design
Fig. 10 (a) Proposed design of a motel building at Maldah Patti; (b) under construction photograph; (c) lower completed portion
of the building; (d) after construction photograph. Source: authors.
14
strategies: inventions within the same style and intentional
opposition, as Semes (2007) proposed, to create a continuity
of the historic urban fabric in the lower and upper parts.
5.2. Design elements to evoke historical ambience
The architect incorporated true arches with locally made
bricks at the ground floor level, decorated parapets and
cornices, and projected walls to break verticality and evoke
a historical façade emphasis in the building. Contemporary
materials were also used to interpret these traditional
architectural features, such as aluminum louvers replacing
wooden drops.
5.3. Functionality and spatial constraints
The building was designed with functional spaces such as a
parking area, a stairwell, an arcuated entrance, reception
space, office space, and guest rooms. However, spatial
constraints limited the inclusion of a verandah, and a
terrace was included at the second-floor level to provide a
vertical transitional space.
5.4. Client participation in the construction phase
The client suggested several changes during the design and
construction phase, such as alterations in paints, colors,
glass selection, and land utility. However, the client agreed
to construct the formal architectural language, despite
adding colors to match his other motel building. The cli-
ent’s suggestions and requests for changes during the con-
struction phase highlight the importance of clear
communication between the architect and client
throughout the design and construction process. These
participations made the ownership with the design and
motivated to preserve historic styles in his new building.
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Table 3 Design recommendation for an HUQ of Maldah Patti and adjacent streets of Dinajpur.
Item Design recommendation
General approach 1. Contemporary inventions are preferred when designing in a historical style and
utilizing locally available materials.
2. Compatibility of new can be created with the Literal replication of old buildings
with differential architectural explanations between old and new.
3. Designing a building with abstract references to create meaningful contrast is
possible but less preferred.
4. The intentional opposite idea can only be implemented by combining approaches
replicating old buildings or creating new buildings with distinct differences.
Height 1. The height and roofline of a new building must follow the roofline and height
references of the nearest historic buildings.
2. If the new building is planned to be more than two stories high, it should take a
step back for the above portions of the old height.
Street line 1. New buildings must maintain the property line characteristics of the old buildings.
2. The new building must maintain historic spatial relationships and include a front
verandah at the street level.
Façade composition 1. The new building should adhere to the bilateral facade composition for two-
storied buildings, unilateral facade composition for one-storied buildings, and
maintain a mandatory bilateral two-storied facade for taller buildings.
2. New buildings may emphasize their facade using either horizontal, vertical, or
both styles while adhering to historic proportions.
3. Following the fenestration pattern of the nearest historic buildings is essential as it
can significantly impact the appearance and functionality of a building’s facade.
4. It is recommended to avoid creating blank, mirrored, or opaque facades in
buildings.
5. Including a significant percentage of deep verandahs or windows in the new
building is essential for pedestrian scale, particularly on the first floor.
6. The new building should align with adjacent buildings’ cornice lines, windowsills,
and peaks.
Rhythm and pedestrian experience 1. Architectural elements that divide the facade into intervals and maintain a
pedestrian-friendly scale should be included.
2. Stylistic elements of verandahs and openings should harmonize with the estab-
lished historical rhythm.
3. In order to enhance pedestrian accessibility, it is necessary to include a low-height
plinth with a street-level building access point.
Materials and details 1. Similar materials and colors should be used in the building construction to main-
tain visual consistency, but structural systems can be avoided.
2. Materials should be used to create a consistent three-dimensional character that
incorporates details, textures, or small-scale elements in buildings to maintain
the HUQ urban fabric.
3. New material can be incorporated to invent new details with stylistic continuity.

5.5. Attention to detail
During construction, a misplaced plumbing pipe was
exposed from the duct, which was not visually pleasing and
required attention. This highlights the importance of paying
attention to detail during the design and construction
phases to ensure a visually pleasing and functional building.
form. Architect also Used exposed brick for the main outer
façade inspired by two structures Maizdi kuthi and a resi-
dence from Basunia Patti (Fig. 4(c)). These inspirations
create a contemporary design rooted in the local historical
context.
5.7. Vertical and horizontal emphasis in the facade

5.6. Inspiration from historic structures
The architect drew inspiration from several historic struc-
tures of the HUQ. Such as from a building of a Kaiya Patti
(Fig. 6(a)) architect took an ornamental wooden drop and
interpreted it with an aluminum louver drop, and in the
Goru Hati Road structure (Fig. 3(c)) architect learned to
give an extra setback for the upper intentional opposite
The building design emphasized vertical elements such as
arches and columns and horizontal elements such as cor-
nices, terraces, and extended roofs.
5.8. Trade-offs and compromises
The architect had to make trade-offs and compromises to
balance the client’s economic needs with the desire to

15
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A.T.M. Shahriar, S.M.N.H. Mithun, D. Saha et al.
preserve the site’s historical legacy. For example, due to
spatial constraints, the design did not include a lower-level
verandah, but a terrace was included to provide a transi-
tional space. The design had two more arches, but the
client did not agree to construct them.
5.9. Attention to security
The client’s request to remove arches from the parking
facade due to security concerns highlights the importance
of considering safety and security issues in the design
process.
6. Conclusion
This paper has examined the morphological transformation
of the historic urban quarter in Dinajpur, Bangladesh, and
proposed preservation and enhancement strategies to
safeguard its cultural heritage. The study has underscored
the importance of historic urban quarters as vital compo-
nents of daily life with cultural and historical value. It has
evaluated the significance of preserving historic architec-
tural assets and achieving harmony and continuity in new
construction.
The literature review has highlighted the necessity of
conserving HUQ and offered insights into various approaches
to achieve this objective. Regulations and guidelines from
worldwide organizations are examined to determine visual
and contextual attributes that new developments should
adhere to, such as scale, proportion, materials, colors, and
textures. Table 1 demonstrates the importance of main-
taining historical characteristics when introducing new de-
velopments in historical contexts. Compatible interventions
that follow historical precedents and maintain visual
integrity enhance the historical context, while partially
compatible and incompatible interventions may detract
from the overall visual coherence of the site. The review
also explores design strategies, including literal replication,
invention within the same style, abstract references, and
intentional opposition. Moreover, this found that designing
for continuity in historic urban areas can be challenging, as
it requires balancing the preservation of cultural legacy and
historical buildings’ visual and spatial character with the
need for modernization and socio-economic development.
The study identified several key factors to consider when
designing for architectural continuity in Dinajpur’s historic
urban quarter. The study found that only 38 buildings
remained in the urban fabric out of 108 old structures
recorded in 1936. Violations of building height and setback
rules are common in the area, with new constructions being
more than two-storied and sometimes seven to ten-storied,
changing the historic skylines. The five categories of overall
morphological modifications of historic structures include
new buildings with incompatible styles and old buildings
damaged by maintenance issues. Factors for inappropriate
new construction include increasing land value, develop-
ment needs, and lack of specific regulatory control, with
little regard for preserving the historical building styles of
the area. These include the preservation of historic struc-
tures, the use of traditional building materials and tech-
niques, and the incorporation of local cultural elements.
16
Survey results also showed that the local community values
the preservation of historic buildings and cultural heritage
while recognizing the need for modernization and socio-
economic development.
This study (Table 2) lists the physical characteristics of
historical structures in the HUQ. The table includes de-
tails on the location, ownership, present use, facade
emphasis, style, and pedestrian experience in three
groups of buildings grouped into three types of space
systems: Figural spaces, Figural buildings, and hybrid
buildings. The buildings are identified by the Cadastral
Survey (CS) map number and Revisional Survey (RS) map
number. The primary façade style is the bilateral
composition, emphasizing vertical and horizontal ele-
ments. Deep verandahs with arches and stairs are typical
on the ground floor, while upper floors feature decorative
railings, drops or arches, and wooden pivoted windows.
The buildings are constructed primarily with brick ma-
sonry work finished with plaster, paint, and some exposed
brick finishes. Floor slabs and stairs are constructed with
iron roofing systems, and doors and windows are made of
wood with plain iron bars (Table 2).
This study incorporated design and construction experi-
ences and found that achieving architectural continuity in
an HUQ is not simple enough but a complex interplay of
various issues. Such as balancing historical continuity and
socio-economic development, designing elements to evoke
historical ambience, acknowledging functionality and
spatial constraints, ensuring Client participation in the
design and construction phase, keeping attention to detail,
taking inspiration from historic structures, deriving Vertical
and horizontal emphasis in the façade, facing Trade-offs
and compromises, giving importance of communication and
paying attention to security issues are necessary. This study
found that clients’ participation is necessary for the design
and construction process to motivate them to follow his-
toric architectural continuity in new constructions, and the
architect’s role is vital to make this possible.
The recommendations presented in Table 3; for
designing the HUQ of Maldah Patti and adjacent streets
of Dinajpur prioritize using contemporary inventions that
use locally available materials while being compatible
with historical styles. When designing new buildings, the
height and roofline should follow the references of
nearby historic buildings. The street line and spatial re-
lationships should also be maintained, with a mandatory
front verandah at the street level. The facade composi-
tion should adhere to bilateral or unilateral styles,
emphasizing historic proportions and fenestration pat-
terns. Architectural elements that maintain pedestrian-
friendly scale and rhythm should be included. Using
consistent materials and details can create a three-
dimensional character incorporating traditional and local
construction while avoiding visually incompatible mate-
rials. Intentional opposite ideas can be implemented by
combining approaches such as replicating old buildings or
creating new ones with distinct differences.
Overall, the study’s recommendations can serve as a
valuable guide for architects, urban planners, and policy-
makers tasked with designing for architectural continuity in
historic urban quarters, helping to safeguard cultural and
architectural heritage for future generations.
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Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing
financial interests or personal relationships that could have
appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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