Rubaiya Sultana
I design for the parts of a city that flood, overheat, and get overlooked.
Selected work
-
Weaving Resilience
A nature-based strategy that lets Buffalo Bayou flood safely and be lived beside again.
- Individual master project, 14 weeks, supervised by Prof. Rafael Longoria
- Houston, TX
- 2024
-
Thermal Thrive
Shade, cooling and transit access, placed where South Phoenix feels the heat first.
- Graduate studio project, MSc Sustainable Urban Systems
- Phoenix, AZ
- 2023
-
Community in Parentheses
A lakeside settlement in Dhaka, upgraded in place with its residents rather than cleared.
- Undergraduate thesis, American International University Bangladesh
- Dhaka, Bangladesh
- 2018
-
Columbia Tap Trail
A four-mile rail trail through Third Ward, redrawn for walking, cycling and gathering.
- Research assistant, GIS analysis, design drawings and publication content
- Houston, TX
- 2024
-
Shahidganj Masterplan
A masterplan and housing prototypes for a riverside settlement, shaped in community workshops.
- Consultant urban community architect, masterplanning and housing prototypes
- Sirajganj, Bangladesh
- 2019-20
-
Collective Comfort
Research into who gets relief from extreme heat, exhibited in San Francisco.
- Contributor, research synthesis, mapping visuals and analytical diagrams
- Phoenix, AZ
- 2023-25
-
Kalibari Kitchen Market
A market and community centre, carried from site analysis to construction drawings.
- Design and construction documentation, landscape plans and planting details
- Sirajganj, Bangladesh
- 2020
-
Rejuvenating Urban Negative
The leftover ground beneath a Dhaka flyover, reclaimed as a waste craft centre.
- Second-year undergraduate design project, concept and 2D drawings
- Dhaka, Bangladesh
- 2016
-
Banay
A small studio making furniture for local manufacture, from sketch to production.
- Co-founder and designer, product development and brand direction
- Bangladesh
- 2020-23
-
Design Taxonomy
Agora, garden and water typologies drawn for the bayou corridor
-
Intersectionality Analysis
Heat vulnerability mapped against mobile home stock in Maricopa County
-
Community Oasis
Laundry, ablution, maktab and playspace held in one shared block
-
The Waste Craft Centre
Someone’s trash, someone’s treasure, built beneath the flyover
-
Safe Sanitation Prototypes
Toilet types and service level assessment across the settlements
-
Construction Documentation
Landscape plan, planting details and sidewalk sections
Portfolio
Selected projects, 2016-2025
Across my education and practice I have built a working method that combines rigorous technical skill, design experimentation and the urban humanities. I intend to keep using it to improve the built environment sustainably.
- MSc Architecture, Sustainable Urban Systems Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, University of Houston
- Master Project: Weaving Resilience: Rediscovering Urban Living Along Buffalo Bayou · 3.72/4.0
- Bachelor of Architecture American International University Bangladesh (AIUB)
- Thesis: Community in Parentheses: [Re]-Development of Jheelpar Bastee
-
Urban Designer
Asakura Robinson · Houston, TX
Geospatial and multimodal connectivity analysis for the Harris County Toll Road Authority Downtown Connector / Hardy Tollway Study, evaluating transportation networks, pedestrian systems and transit integration across a major infrastructure corridor. ArcGIS Pro analysis of land use, right-of-way, environmental constraints; research into green stormwater infrastructure and urban heat mitigation.
-
Architectural Designer · Architectural Intern
PENH Studio LLC · Houston, TX
Construction documentation for a 6.43-acre multi-family housing complex and multiple retail projects. 2D documentation and 3D modelling in AutoCAD and SketchUp to IBC, IRC and municipal codes across Houston, Harris County and Montgomery County. Building code and zoning analysis; AHJ submittals and review responses with city officials and fire marshals. ANSI and Texas Accessibility Standards applied throughout.
-
Graduate Research Assistant
College of Architecture, University of Houston · Houston, TX
Grant-funded SOM Foundation Prize project analysing heat resilience in Phoenix, producing spatial and visual frameworks for resilience hubs, shade networks and transit-accessible public space. Supported the Columbia Tap Trail Action Plan in Houston’s Third Ward, including tactical urbanism interventions and public space activations.
-
Co-Founder & Designer
BanayBD · Bangladesh
Furniture and consumer product design from research through production drawings, plus brand visuals and photography direction.
-
Urban Community Architect (Consultant)
National Housing Authority · Bangladesh
Participatory planning and housing design across 12 informal settlements supporting over 700 low-income families. Site-specific master plans, housing prototypes and infrastructure layouts covering roads, drainage and walkable access. Land tenure mapping and settlement analysis informing resettlement action plans. Facilitated community workshops and trained field staff and residents in building standards and affordable construction.
-
Research Architect
Deyalkotha · Bangladesh
Community engagement through site visits and courtyard meetings; service mapping and research studies; temporary education infrastructure for underserved communities.
Collective Comfort: Airing on the Side of Possibilities in a Time of Warning
Contributor, 2022 SOM Foundation Research Prize final report
Collective Comfort: Airing on Possibilities
Exhibition, San Francisco, research synthesis, mapping and diagrams
Columbia Tap Trail Action Plan & Design Plan Book
Contributor, Community Design Resource Center
-
GIS & Analysis
- ArcGIS Pro
- QGIS
- Spatial analysis
- Site & settlement survey
-
Design & Drawing
- AutoCAD
- Revit
- Rhino + Grasshopper
- SketchUp
- Bluebeam
-
Visualisation
- Enscape
- Lumion
- Illustrator
- Photoshop
- InDesign
- Procreate
-
Practice
- Participatory planning
- Construction documentation
- Zoning & code analysis
- ADA / TAS accessibility
- AHJ permitting
Contact
- srubaiya13 [at] gmail.com
- /in/sultanarubaiya
- Available on request