Full Time Faculty Ph.D., Texas A&M University, USA Phone: +880-2-55668200 Ext: 1852 |
Dr. Saiful Islam is a Professor in the Department of Architecture at North South University. He teaches design studios along with courses in the areas of climate & architecture, daylighting design and acoustics in architecture. His primary research interest is optimized use of nature’s resources for buildings’ sustainability. His current researches investigate scope of building codes in sustaining thermal comfort and daylight in dense residential buildings of Dhaka city. His research works are published in top-tier journals such as Energy for Sustainable Development, Journal of Housing and the Built Environment and also in prestigious international conferences like PLEA (Passive and Low Energy Architecture). Findings and insights gained from his research investigations are directly applied and integrated into his design works. One of his designed projects, Jamserpur High School Hostel, was awarded INTERARCH 2020 Award for residential building category, organized by International Academy of Architecture, Sofia, Bulgaria. Jirai-Bari, a vacation house designed by Professor Islam was published in DOT, a prestigious Art & Architecture magazine in Bangladesh.
Professor Islam joined NSU in September 2012 and was appointed as the Chairman of the Department of Architecture in January 2016. He did his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 2011. After finishing his dissertation, he served a semester as fulltime Visiting faculty in the Department of Architecture at Texas A&M University. He did his Masters of Architecture from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2005. He was also an Adjunct Faculty at UTSA while he was pursuing his M.Arch. studies. His Bachelors of Architecture was from Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology. Afterwards, he worked with eminent Architect Rafiq Azam for a brief period of time. Later he joined Vitti Sthapati Brinda Ltd, a leading architecture firm of the nation where he worked until he went to the United States for higher education. In the US, beside his perusal of graduate studies, he worked with Architect Killis P. Almond, FAIA, and Architect Shantha D. Gunawardena, AIA. He is still serving as an advisor in Gunawardena’s international consulting office Sustainable Design Consortium.
Journal Publication
Saiful Islam & Chamila Subasinghe, (August 2022) DENIED DELIGHTS OF DAYLIGHT IN DENSITY: OPTIMISING BUILDING CODES TO ACHIEVE MAXIMUM DAYLIGHT IN APARTMENTS OF DHAKA, BANGLADESH. Energy for Sustainable Development, Vol-69, Pages 51-63, DOI: 10.1016/j.esd.2022.04.014
Saiful Islam, & Shannon Vanzandt, (August 2013) THE IMPACT OF ZONING REGULATIONS ON THERMAL COMFORT IN NON-CONDITIONED HOUSING IN HOT, HUMID CLIMATES: FINDINGS FROM DHAKA, BANGLADESH. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment DOI: 10.1007/s10901-013-9373-2
Conference Proceedings
Saiful Islam & Mohammed Farhaz Uddin, DAYL IGHT PRIORITY IN APARTMENT ROOM LAYOUT DESIGN WHEN DAYLIGHT ACCESS IS LIMITED DUE TO DENSE URBAN SURROUNDINGS: A CASE FROM DHAKA CITY Paper accepted for presentation in 36th International PLEA (Passive and Low Energy Architecture) conference in Santiago, Chile, November 22-25, 2022
Saiful Islam, IMPACT OF APARTMENT ROOM LAYOUT IN REDUCING UNWANTED TEMPERATURE-RISE IN ROOMS ADJACENT TO KITCHEN: A CASE FROM DHAKA CITY, Edward Ng, Square Fong, & Chao Ren PLEA 2018: Smart and Healthy Within the Two-Degree Limit Proceedings of the 34th International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture; Pages-464-469, Dec 10-12, 2018, Hong Kong, China
Saiful Islam, A STUDY ON BUILDING CODE’S IMPACT ON DAYLIGHT AVAILABILITY IN DHAKA CITY’S APARTMENT BUILDINGS Paper presented in the 31st International PLEA (Passive and Low Energy Architecture) conference in Bologna, Italy, 9 – 11 September, 2015
Saiful Islam, IMPACTS OF ‘MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE BUILDING FOOTPRINT’ ON NATURAL VENTILATION IN APARTMENT BUILDINGS, presented in the 29th International Conference on Passive & Low Energy Architecture ‘PLEA 2013’, September 10-12, 2013, Munich, Germany.
Saiful Islam, AN EXTENDED STUDY ON BUILDING REGULATIONS’ IMPACT ON NATURAL VENTILATION IN APARTMENT BUILDINGS IN DHAKA CITY, presented in 20th General Assembly and Conference Commonwealth Association of Architects, 22-23 February 2013, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Saiful Islam, & Liliana Beltran, A STUDY ON ZONING REGULATIONS’ IMPACT ON VENTILATION RATE IN NON-CONDITIONED APARTMENT BUILDINGS IN DHAKA CITY, presented in World Renewable Energy Forum 2012, May 13-17, Colorado, Denver
Design Awards, Exhibitions & Publications
International design award: INTERARCH 2020 Award for residential building, organized by International Academy of Architecture, Sofia, Bulgaria.
International design exhibition: The design and drawings of Jamsherpur High School Hostel was exhibited at the XVI World Biennale of Architecture INTERARCH 2020, 25-28 October, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Design of Jiraibari was published in DOT Art & Architecture Bangladesh, Issue-02, Volume-04, Pages-68-72.
Design submitted to C2C International Design Competition was exhibited at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2005.
Research Grants & Awards
NSU CTRG 2024-2025 Research Grant
Title: Mapping indoor heat stress faced by Dhaka apartment dwellers and its relationship with existing and proposed density.
Role: Principal Investigator.
National Institutes of Health Grant (NIH R01; Subaward number: 00011726)
Title: Evaluating exposure to heat stress, impact on pregnancy outcomes and housing infrastructure improvements to reduce exposure to heat stress and associated adverse health outcomes in a low-income country.
Role: Co-Principal Investigator.
NSU CTRG 2016-2017 Research Grant
Title: Establishing design guidelines for locating kitchens in apartment buildings to reduce heat stress and associated energy consumption from mechanical cooling.
Role: Principal Investigator.
NSU CTRGC 2019-2020 Research Grant
Title: A study to understand the relationship between kitchen location and resultant thermal environment in adjacent rooms in apartment building.
Role: Principal Investigator.
Best Architecture Research Paper at PGR-CIB, 1st Annual Postgraduate Research Competition on March 30, 2009.
Session Winner (First Position) at Student Research Week, Texas A&M University March 28, 2008.
Taxonomy Winner (Second Position) at Student Research Week, Texas A&M University March 28, 2008.
Graduate Architecture Student Scholarship from University of Texas San Antonio Spring, 2004
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Architecture in 2011.
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
Dissertation: A Study on Zoning Regulations’ Impact on Thermal Comfort Conditions in Non-Conditioned Apartment Buildings in Dhaka City.
Advisor: Dr. Phillip J. Tabb.
Masters of Architecture (M.Arch.) in 2005.
University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Final project: Sustainable Architecture for Slum Dwellers in Karail Slum, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Advisor: Dr. Vincent Canizaro.
Bachelors of Architecture (B.Arch.) in 2000.
Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Professor November 2023 - present
Chairman, Department of Architecture January 2016 – May 2017
Associate Professor April 2018 – October 2023
Assistant Professor September 2012 – March 2018
Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Assistant Professor May 2012 – Sep. 2012
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
Full-time Visiting Lecturer Spring 2012
Part-time Instructor Fall 2006 - Spring 2011
North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Visiting Lecturer Summer 2009
University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
Adjunct Faculty 2003 - 2005
Exterior-Interior (P) Ltd. Dhaka, Bangladesh
Lecturer 2002 - 2003
Principal Architect
S3 Architects, Dhaka, Bangladesh 2018 - present
Principal Architect
for 10-storey BFRI Head Quarter Building at Sholoshohor, Chattagram
on behalf of EQMS Consultant Ltd. 2022
Head of Design
Double A Properties, Dhaka, Bangladesh 2012 - 2018
Associate Architect
Shantha D. Gunawardana, AIA, LEED-AP, San Antonio, TX 2007 - 2008
Architect Intern
Killis Almond Associates Inc. San Antonio, TX 2006 - 2007
Independent consultant for Architectural Delineation 2003 - 2006
The Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas
The City of San Antonio, Texas
Fisher & Heck Architects, San Antonio, Texas
JMS Architects, San Antonio, Texas
Associate Architect
Vitti Sthapati Brinda Ltd, Dhaka, Bangladesh Jan 2001- Jan 2003
ARC510
ARC215
ARC121 & 122
ARC261
Teaching interests:
- Design Studio on Sustainable Architecture
o Architecture for enhanced natural ventilation
o Architecture for enhanced day-light
o Building-form and solar energy
o Net Zero Buildings
- Seminar: Natural Ventilation and Basics of CFD
- Seminar: Energy Efficient Building Design
- Design Communication Foundation
Member (I-089) – Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) 2015 - present
Scientific Committee Member, Passive & Low Energy Architecture (PLEA) Conference, Hong Kong 2018
Member – Rotary Club of Dhaka Mid City 2016 - present
Life Member, Rajshahi Cancer Hospital & Research Center
Candidate Member – Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) 2003 - 2014
President, Bangladesh Student Association, Texas A&M University 2008 - 2009
Vice President, Alumni of AUST Architects, Bangladesh 2013 – 2014
- CFD analysis of buildings’ natural and hybrid ventilation potential
- Optimization of building-form and building envelop systems for passive heating, cooling, and day-light enhancement in energy efficient buildings
- Building performance analysis for both conditioned and non-conditioned buildings
- Zoning regulations and their impact on wind and solar access in urban areas