_Community Mosque is a Symbol of Social Status – a Case of Participatory Design Process of Mosque Architecture in Dhaka City

Community mosque has its intrinsic pattern of development distinct from the other mosque typologies in Bangladesh. They are built by the collective effort of the ordinary people and are responsive to the changing need of the community. They convey the legacy of the traditional building craftsmanship in modernization. The mosques usually have a humble beginning but once the basic structure is formed it grows enormously to respond to the endless need of the community. Numerous community mosques grow spontaneously all over Bangladesh making it the most dominant mosque typology in the region. The paper focused on the design concepts of community mosque which are propagated through the collective consensus of the community and interpreted through local architectural language. It is a kind of mould in which typical character of the society is cast; hence it serves as a powerful social symbol. A historical overview established the fact that community mosques can be considered as the oldest mosque typology in Bengal. Through the literature the author has illustrated the origin of community mosques and their intrinsic growth pattern followed by a generalization on the design and building process which is responsive to the growing needs of the community. Finally a through case study was added to find the architectural value and the participatory design process which attained new design methods to responsive design solutions deeply rooted in local society expressed through a live and endless process of design.