Srijon Barua

Srijon Barua

  • Architecture - Kyoto

    Adjunct Assistant Professor

    Programs
    • Undergraduate

Areas of Expertise

Architectural and urban design, Infrastructural Residual Space,  environmental management, Community development projects, , Sustainability studies  

Teaching Interests

Srijon Barua’s teaching interests lie at the intersection of urban studies, architectural and landscape design, and environmental management. He is particularly drawn to exploring sustainable design strategies and the role of infrastructure in shaping urban life. His practice-based approach emphasizes participatory learning, critical spatial thinking, and community engagement. He also brings a unique lens on guerrilla altruism drawing from his own projects and encouraging students to explore small-scale, subversive interventions that blend activism, design, and social responsibility. 

Research

Srijon Barua is an early-career researcher and architect specializing in infrastructural adaptation, with a particular focus on the social, spatial, and economic potential of infra-residual spaces—ranging from under-flyover areas in Dhaka to the railway arches of London. His work bridges research and practice through collaborations with government agencies, NGOs, and community partners. Drawing on participatory action research, he has contributed to the development of local policy frameworks and delivered context-sensitive design outcomes that integrate art, science, and inclusive governance. He is currently authoring a trilogy of scholarly articles on infrastructural adaptation. 

Representative Publications

Infrastructural Adaptation Series -

  1. Barua, S1., Kobayashi, H. Post construction infrastructural adaptation of social practices in Dhaka’s under flyover spaces. npj Urban Sustain 4, 48 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-024-00181-w  

  1. Barua Srijon*, On the Nature of Infra-Residual-Space (IRS), Under review article for Nature communication, Springer Nature, ISSN 2041-1723, Journal Impact factor: 14.7) Preprint : https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6694057/v1  

Other -  

  1. 03/2014 - Barua Srijon*, Samain Sabrin, Designing for the Third Age: Architecture Redefined for a Generation of Active Agers, Award Winning Design project & cover feature published in AD  (Architectural Design), WILEY, London, Volume 84, Issue 2, Pg : 126-135, March/April 2014, ISBN: 978-1-118-45272-1

  1. 10/2016 - Barua Srijon*. “Integrated Work-Space Module for Informal Micro Metal Industries of Zinzira, Keraniganj, Dhaka.” Cities, People and Places’ “Transforming Cities through Place-Making”; from Communities to Mega Cities, Oct. 2016, https://uom.lk/cfc/conference-iccpp,  ISSN: 2345-9549.

  1. 02/2016 - VAS issue 01: Essay: Submerged, reviving the eco corridors of Mymensingh, Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscape & Settlement, Feb 2016 https://issuu.com/bengalinstitute/docs/vas01/24 

  1. 10/2018 - Lubabah Sadia* , Barua Srijon, Simita Roy, Department of Architecture, University of Asia Pacific, Bangladesh , International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'­ ICCPP-2018, Socializing Cities: Creating people-centered streets and places, https://uom.lk/cfc/conference-iccpp , ISSN: 2345-9549  (publication with studio project student supervised by the applicant)  

  1. 03/2021 - Barua, S. Chronicle of an Apprentice, Foretold.−希望を抱いて日本へ−. 私の見た日本   http://www.kindaikenchiku.co.jp/update/column/big/2021_03/2103watashino1... (2021)    

Significant Research Outputs Relevant to Research Topic – (Guideline for a Government Project) 

  1. 23/3/2023 - Inception report- Mayor Hanif Flyover's urban design and beautification (EOI) ref no. 46.207.000.09.27.178.2021-209, Dhaka South City Corporation, Bangladesh. Contribution: Advisory services for under flyover beautification, Consultation report & guideline titled “inception report”  and service to Dhaka South City corporation with Next Door Consultant. https://matsushita-konosuke-zaidan.or.jp/data/promotion_research/pdf/22-G38.pdf 

  1. 25/ 5/ 2023 On the Precipice of an Infra – Or Vice Versa: Post infrastructural adaptation in the under-flyover context of Tejgaon-Nabisco Flyover, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Srijon Barua, short paper on: Citizen and State 2, Moritz Kasper chair, FOS Collective, TU Dortmund, 25 May 2023 

Education

01/10/2021 - 25/11/2024
Doctoral Program of Environmental Management, Global Environmental Architecture Lab, Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Japan.  

01/10/2019 - 24/09/2021
Master of Environmental Management, Global Environmental Architecture Lab, Kyoto University, Japan

28/03/2009 - 11/11/2015
Bachelor of Architecture, Department of Architecture, Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology 

Previous Appointments

01/04/2025-
Independent Researcher and Post doc- P.I, Collaborator : Professor Hirohide Kobayashi, Kyoto University, Japan; Professor Adam Dennett, UCL, UK

03/11/2023 – 26/01/2024
Affiliate Academic, Bartlett CASA, University College London, United Kingdom.

04/08/2023 – 31/10/2023
Chair at Hubert Klumpner Lab, Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

7/12/2022 – 25/01/2023
Project Based Consultant, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Hanif Flyover beautification project, Bangladesh

01/10/2021 - 31/03/2022
Teaching and Research Assistant, Global Environmental Architecture Lab, Kyoto University

4/10/2020 – 30/12/2020
Assistant Art Curator, KoganeCho Art Bazaar 2020, NPO KoganeCho Area Management Center under Keikyu Railway lines, Yokohama, Japan.

16/04/2016 – 31/03/2019
Lecturer, Department of Architecture, University of Asia Pacific, Dhaka, Bangladesh (Full time)

1/11/2015 – 30/06/2017
Project Consultant, Dhaka South City Corporation Bangladesh (project based & part time)

1/9/2014-02/02/2018
Project based Architect - DeyalKotha Foundation, Avantgardes NGO, Dhaka, Bangladesh (Part time)

1/12/2015 – 30/04/2016
Research Assistant, Project: IPEN Adolescent, BUET & University of San Diego, California, USA.

Professional Associations

Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB)

SUSINFRA Association

GEA LAB  Kyoto University, Japan

ETH Zurich D-Arch, Hubert Klumpner Lab, Switzerland

The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, UCL, UK