When Niklaus Graber came to visit Bangladesh for the first time 10 years ago, except for Louis Khan's National Assembly Building, he could not find much information on Bangladeshi architecture. He met a lot of contemporary architects and realised there is a vibrant scene in the country, something which is not in focus in the western world.1

Graber is an architect and curator from Switzerland and the lead curator for 'Bengal Stream: The Vibrant Architecture Scene of Bangladesh'. 2

How Bangladeshi architects deal with climatic aspects was also a focus of the show. The low-tech and natural approaches by local architects are particularly interesting. Most of the included projects utilised natural ventilation to reduce excessive energy consumption.3

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• 1. "I was really amazed by the work, and I came back many times and started collecting plans and photographs; I went to see the buildings and I spoke to the architects. I had the intention to disseminate these to my friends and colleagues in Switzerland and elsewhere," he said. "I realised there is big interest. Whoever I met was interested to hear more. One day, the director of the Swiss Museum came to our office. He was aware that I had this collection and invited me to be the curator of an exhibition they wanted to make on this topic."
• 2. "Presently, there are a lot of burning questions in society. How do we deal with inclusiveness and how do we balance the world somehow," said Graber. "Architects here are not only working for a certain class, but they also address and strongly work and collaborate with people even from the fringes of society, in remote places and with people who do not have access to a lot of economic resources."
• 3. "I was not aware of a country elsewhere practising so much equity, inclusiveness and climate-sensitive architecture. And these are the things we are all dealing with right now," he added.