Is compact home architecture the new trend in Dhaka?
Across neighbourhoods such as Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Uttara, and parts of Old Dhaka, compact apartments are emerging as a dominant housing typology — not as temporary compromises, but as intentional architectural responses to a city under pressure.
As soon as you enter the space, it reads as a compact, studio-style living unit designed with efficiency, visual cleanliness, and easy maintenance in mind. With ivory white walls and accessories, the small apartment looks bigger than it is.
The layout follows a linear, open-plan configuration, where sleeping, seating, and kitchenette zones coexist without solid partitions. Ceiling height is kept modest but uncluttered, with recessed lighting and a simple ceiling fan, avoiding false ceilings or heavy detailing.
This is a studio apartment of 350 square feet in the C Block of Bashundhara Residential Area. Designed by Maati Properties Ltd, the apartments are targeted at university students. And according to architect Fawaz Rob, this is the future of Dhaka's urban architecture.
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"As a student and an intern, this is absolutely convenient for me. A very small space, yet functional enough for me. The complex has a gym and a community hall," said Habiba Imti, a student of American International University - Bangladesh (AIUB).
According to Imti, it is an investment for her because there will always be students here and she can rent it out all year round.
"There are more than 20,000 students living in Bashundhara who are studying at North South University, AIUB and other universities around the area. However, no one thinks about them. When Maati advertised the sale of these small apartments, they were sold quickly," architect Rob said.
In Dhaka, space has become the city's most precious currency. With more than 20 million people packed into one of the world's densest megacities, the idea of the 'dream home' is quietly changing. Wide living rooms and extra bedrooms are giving way to something more realistic — small homes designed to live large.
Across neighbourhoods like Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Uttara and parts of Old Dhaka, compact apartments are emerging as a dominant housing typology. These homes are not temporary compromises; they are intentional architectural responses to a city under pressure.
"It's a perpetual trouble, not just in Bangladesh but all over the world. The client always wants more square feet, while the authority body has some regulations. The central idea of imposing regulations is to have space for the public — for playgrounds, footpaths, community space, greenery and breathing space. We cannot just take every inch of space inside our home," architect Rob said.
And adjusting to population pressure while arranging living spaces equals small housing. Housing trends in Dhaka and in rural areas are completely different.
"If you zoom out of Bangladesh, you will find most houses to be two or three floors. Because more floors mean more maintenance — elevators, guards, caretakers, etc — which will put most middle-class or lower-middle-class families out of housing in rural areas," the architect added.
Architect Iqbal Habib believes that in urban areas, more housing should be compacted into high-rise buildings so that more open spaces can be spared for playgrounds and greenery.
"And this is why small-scale housing is the future of our urban lands," architect Iqbal said.
In Uttara and Khilkhet, one-bedroom studio apartments are being rented by travellers through platforms like Booking.com and Airbnb.
Parvez Yousuf, owner of two such apartments, said this is an excellent business idea. "It is near the airport, so anyone can check in or check out according to their flight time. Instead of investing in a big apartment, I settled in my ancestors' house in Sylhet while revenues came through these apartments," he said.
The numbers behind the shift
For decades, Dhaka's middle-class aspiration centred on apartments sized between 1,200 and 1,500 square feet. Today, that benchmark is shrinking. Real estate listings increasingly show flats in the 650 to 900 square feet range, while studio and one-bedroom units can be as small as 350 to 500 square feet.
"It's a perpetual trouble, not just in Bangladesh but all over the world. The client always wants more square feet, while the authority body has some regulations. The central idea of imposing regulations is to have space for the public — for playgrounds, footpaths, community space, greenery and breathing space. We cannot just take every inch of space inside our home." — Fawaz Rob, architect
Developers confirm that smaller apartments sell faster. Rising land prices — particularly in planned areas — have pushed per-square-foot costs beyond the reach of many buyers. Compact units allow families, young professionals and first-time homeowners to stay within the city rather than move to its fringes.
The surge in construction material prices has also increased apartment costs in urban areas, which eventually puts pressure on middle-class households. As a result, demand for small-scale housing is expected to rise in Dhaka.
"When we designed the studio apartments in Bashundhara, we received an immense response," said a spokesperson from Maati, which introduced apartments in a variety of sizes ranging from 275 sq ft to 625 sq ft.
In middle-income and developing areas like Badda, Mirpur, Mohammadpur and Uttara, apartments in the 800–1,200 square foot range are popular among first-time buyers and the growing urban middle class, primarily due to affordability, lower maintenance costs and easier financing.
The rise of compact housing reflects a shifting demographic landscape—young professionals prioritise proximity to work over larger floor space, small families value ownership more than size, elderly couples are downsizing for ease and manageability, and investors seek to capitalise on strong rental demand in central locations.
Architecture adapts to urban reality
Designing smaller homes is no longer about cutting corners — it is about precision. Architects are rethinking layouts to maximise daylight, cross-ventilation and multi-functional spaces. Sliding doors replace walls, balconies double as green pockets, and kitchens blend into living areas.
This is a common architectural strategy in serviced apartments or micro-units, allowing the limited footprint to feel larger and more flexible. The use of full-height mirrored panels, along with light colours on walls and façades, makes spaces appear bigger.
Ceiling height is kept modest but uncluttered, with recessed lighting and simple ceiling fans, avoiding false ceilings or heavy detailing. This reinforces the room's clean volume and improves airflow — an important climatic consideration.
A new urban mindset
The growing acceptance of small homes also signals a cultural shift. Privacy is being redefined, shared spaces are valued more, and emphasis is moving from "how big" to "how well designed".
Urban planners argue that compact living, if supported by proper infrastructure, could reduce urban sprawl, lower commuting stress and make Dhaka more sustainable. In a city where expansion is no longer horizontal, the future of housing lies in smarter, smaller spaces.
