Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) inaugurated “A Healing Space – Winner’s Showcase,” an international design exhibition organized by Claymire in association with Placemaking Bangladesh, on Friday at La Galerie, Dhanmondi.
The opening ceremony was attended by Dr Khandaker Shabbir Ahmed, Ashok Karmaker, and A K M Saleh Ahmed Anik as special guests.
“A Healing Space” is Claymire’s second international design ideas competition, inviting participants from around the world to reimagine the built environment as an agent of care, resilience, and ecological renewal. Responding to the global disruptions of recent years, the initiative explored how design can foster healing at three interconnected scales — People, Community, and Planet.
From hundreds of submissions worldwide, the exhibition presents the Top 30 shortlisted proposals, addressing themes such as urban–rural transformations, biophilic design, inclusive public spaces, therapeutic landscapes, and playful interventions.
This year’s winning projects include “Beyond The Wall” by Mariom Bentee Rahman, Amit Dutta, Jannatul Ferdous Khan Joty, and Md Shihab Pramanik, which reimagines Dhaka’s boundary walls as shared community edges, transforming neglected urban margins into spaces for connection and cultural expression.
Another winning project, “Komolar Daake Mononer Paane" by N M Shamsul Islam, Sadika Alam Sayma, Tanvir Ahamed, and Omar Faruk, revives a historic paddle steamer as a living cultural vessel, reclaiming the river as a site of memory, identity, and community gathering. With its preserved orange hull, the project symbolizes heritage, serenity, and civic engagement.
Claymire, a creative platform for architects, artists, designers, and students, aims to promote innovative design and collaboration through competitions, exhibitions, and events. Placemaking Bangladesh works to transform everyday spaces into inclusive, ecological, and people-centered places by bridging professional expertise with grassroots perspectives.
The exhibition will remain open for visitors on September 27 from 12pm to 9pm at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka.