Floating legacies: Reawakening heritage on the Buriganga: Integrating old Dhaka’s neighborhoods with the Buriganga river through adaptive reuse of paddle steamers

Abstract

In order to adapt to the explosion of technology and with bridges like Padma bridge(2022) or The Jamuna bridge(1998), we have turned our back on paddle steamers, once proud sentinels of trade and travel, now lie in quiet abandonment. Their iron hulls rusting under the weight of forgotten stories. Their decks, which once bore the footsteps of passengers embarking on unknown journeys, are now fragmented relics of a past drifting into obscurity. In the heart of Old Dhaka, where the Buriganga once shimmered as the city’s lifeline, the paddle steamers still whisper stories of an era now fading beneath the tides of time. As the city turned its back on them, this thesis dared to revive those echoes. Not merely by conserving the vessels, but by weaving them into a new civic landscape that bridges memory, heritage, and contemporary life. The project’s program unfolds across both land and water, reflecting a seamless dialogue between the two realms. On land, the River Heritage Museum, BIWTC office, and existing heritage mosques anchor the site’s cultural and spiritual identity, while a new mosque respectfully mirrors the legacy of the old. Surrounding these are multipurpose spaces, cafes, indoor sports spaces, and public gathering zones that activate the civic life of the area. Extending onto the river, two historic paddle steamers become living vessels. One transformed into a floating museum, the other reimagined as a lunch and dinner cruise, reconnecting people to the Buriganga’s once-vibrant river culture. The intention was to allow these floating structures to become more than just artifacts of the past. They will be vessels of memory, places of gathering, and a beacon for the revival of Dhaka’s riverfront. Later on, a heritage trail was designed as a continuous cultural spine, weaving together the scattered historic landmarks around the site and guiding visitors through layers of Old Dhaka’s memory. By extending this trail seamlessly toward the riverfront development, the project reconnected the city with the Buriganga, allowing its forgotten heritage to flow naturally into the new civic and museum spaces.