A Vessel of Time — Archaeological Museum, Mahasthangarh

An academic design studio project for an archaeological museum at Mahasthangarh, Bangladesh, one of the oldest urban archaeological sites in South Asia. The design concept, "A Vessel of Time," uses archaeological stratigraphy as the spatial organizing principle, translating the site's 18 layered cultural sequences into the building's sectional and material logic. The scheme is composed of three interlocking volumes — two rectangular blocks and a central octagonal gallery — set on a flood-conscious plinth that responds to the adjacent mazar's pilgrimage circulation and Bangladesh's monsoon climate. Structure follows a 6m x 6m grid with a flat slab and drop panel system, supporting 4.5m floor-to-floor gallery heights. The material palette of exposed brick, earth tones, and filtered daylight draws on regional precedents while shaping a contemplative visitor discovery sequence through the galleries. Developed from concept and structural studies through 3D massing and photorealistic visualization.