kashef chowdhury and his dhaka-based architecture firm urbana designed the friendship centre. the architect promotes "the architecture of responsibility" and wanted to create a structure that was not just art but instead put the client's needs first by creating a suitable environment for the building's uses. environmental sustainability and keeping within budget were also important to the project. chowdhury designed the architecture as simple and bare to suit the region's economy and to reflect the serenity of its riverine landscape.