# SLATE

> SLATE is a Gulshan-based architecture studio. Design with purpose: apartments, commercial towers and master plans across Bangladesh, shaped around the people who use them.

SLATE is an architecture studio in Dhaka. We design with purpose, and every plan starts with the people who will live, work and arrive in it

We design apartment complexes, commercial office buildings and mixed-use towers for real estate developers and land owners across Bangladesh. From the first FAR (Floor Area Ratio) feasibility study to complete construction documentation, every project starts with the people who will use it — how they arrive, move, live and gather — and is shaped by its site: DAP zoning rules, sun path, prevailing wind and market demand.

The studio works through two integrated units. Design Development turns a site's potential into efficient floor plans, unit mixes and elevations. Construction Documentation delivers precise architectural drawings so the building is built exactly as designed.

## Key facts

- Name: SLATE (also known as SLATE Atelier, SLATE Architecture & Design, SLATE Studio Dhaka, SLATE Architects)
- What: Architecture and design studio
- Design philosophy: Design with purpose (user-centred architecture)
- Services: Architecture, Interior design, Master planning, Real estate product consultancy
- Areas served: All of Bangladesh; current projects in Bashundhara R/A, Gulshan, Jolshiri, Uttara, Purbachal, Narayanganj, Chattogram, Cumilla, Cox's Bazar, Khulna, Sylhet
- Principal: Syed Mohammed Imran, Founder and Principal Architect
- Founded: April 2025
- Address: Flat B2, Level 02, House SW (I) 3/A, Road 02, Gulshan 01, Dhaka 1212
- Phone: +88 01749 390 284
- Email: info@slate-atelier.com
- Open: Sunday to Thursday, 09:00–18:00 (closed Friday and Saturday)
- Website: https://slate-atelier.com/

## Leadership

### Syed Mohammed Imran — Founder and Principal Architect, SLATE

Profile: https://slate-atelier.com/studio/syed-mohammed-imran
- Also known as: Syed Imran | Imran Syed
- Founder and Principal Architect of SLATE. Former Chief Architect and Head of Design & Development of Edison Real Estate (EREL), and its first architect.
- 2025 – present: Founder and Principal Architect, SLATE
- 2021 – 2025: Chief Architect and Head of Design & Development, Edison Real Estate (EREL) — its first architect; more than 45 lakh sq ft (4.5 million sq ft) across 38 projects planned, developed and launched, including Edison Titania, Edison Prospero, Edison Desdemona, Edison Iris, Edison Camillo and Edison Verona
- 2011 – 2021: Senior architect and design roles at Neoformation Architects, United Consultants and MRITT
- 2011: B.Arch, Khulna University
- Expertise: Residential and commercial architecture, Real estate feasibility and FAR analysis, Real estate product strategy and design direction, Multidisciplinary team leadership (architectural, structural, MEP), External consultant management, User-centred residential planning, RAJUK planning approvals

Syed Mohammed Imran is the founder and Principal Architect of SLATE, a Dhaka-based architecture studio focused on purpose-led, user-centred design. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Khulna University (2011).

Over more than a decade he has worked across architectural practice and the developer side of real estate in Bangladesh, leading multidisciplinary design teams of architects and structural and electrical engineers, setting product strategy and directing external consultants.

He founded SLATE in April 2025 to bring that experience to land owners and real estate companies across Bangladesh. SLATE designs buildings for plot yield, buildability, market viability and long-term livability.

From 2021 to 2025 Syed Mohammed Imran (Imran Syed) was the founding Chief Architect and Head of Design & Development of Edison Real Estate (EREL), one of the fastest-growing real estate developers in Bangladesh in those years, and its first architect. He oversaw more than 45 lakh sq ft (about 4.5 million sq ft) of real estate across 38 projects planned, developed and launched, among them Edison Titania, Edison Prospero, Edison Desdemona, Edison Iris, Edison Camillo and Edison Verona, built and led its multidisciplinary design division (architectural, structural and electrical engineering), set its design philosophy, spatial planning and product strategy, and directed external architectural consultants from the client side. Mridula Yousuf, now SLATE's Partner and Chief Operating Officer, was his deputy there.

### Mridula Yousuf — Partner and Chief Operating Officer, SLATE

Profile: https://slate-atelier.com/studio/mridula-yousuf
- Partner and Chief Operating Officer of SLATE. Former Deputy to the Chief Architect at Edison Real Estate (EREL).
- Before SLATE: Deputy to the Chief Architect, Edison Real Estate (EREL)
- Present: Partner and Chief Operating Officer, SLATE
- Expertise: Studio operations, Client relations, Project delivery, Design management, Real estate product planning

Mridula Yousuf is an architect and a Partner and Chief Operating Officer of SLATE. She runs the studio's operations, client relationships and project delivery.

Before SLATE, Mridula Yousuf was Deputy to the Chief Architect at Edison Real Estate (EREL), working alongside Syed Mohammed Imran through the company's rapid growth. With him she co-wrote a feature on Edison Iris published in The Daily Star.

## Clients

Navana Real Estate, Edison Real Estate, Fortress Real Estate, Ray White, Unicorn Properties, Assetium Real Estate, CSRM Real Estate, WesternBreeze, Rafta Real Estate, Bhaiya Housing, Habikon Heights, Ace Developers

## Approach

- People first, then form
- Light and air in every room
- Plans that sell, drawings that build
- Every square foot of FAR put to use

## Projects

- [Fortress Green Touch](https://slate-atelier.com/work/fortress-green-touch): Twin towers in Swadesh Shornali Abashon, Dhaka by SLATE for Fortress Real Estate. Under construction, 2026. Twin residential towers with a vertical garden on every balcony.
- [Raywhite Centra](https://slate-atelier.com/work/raywhite-centra): Retail and office in Jolshiri, Dhaka by SLATE for Raywhite Real Estate. Concept, 2026. Curved-glass building for shops and offices.
- [Navana P009](https://slate-atelier.com/work/navana-p009): Apartments in Jolshiri, Dhaka by SLATE for Navana Real Estate. Under construction, 2026. One-apartment-per-floor tower with shifting balconies and timber fins.
- [Unicorn Heights](https://slate-atelier.com/work/unicorn-heights): Apartments in Swadesh Shornali Abashon, Dhaka by SLATE for Unicorn Properties. Under construction, 2026. 18-storey apartment tower in Swadesh Shornali Abashon.
- [Nest Cassandra](https://slate-atelier.com/work/nest-cassandra): Apartment in Bashundhara R/A, Dhaka by SLATE for Nest Real Estate. Completed, 2025. Six homes on a 3-katha plot, one to each floor.
- [Fortress Swapno Chowa](https://slate-atelier.com/work/fortress-swapno-chowa): Twin towers in Swadesh Shornali Abashon, Dhaka by SLATE for Fortress Real Estate. Under construction, 2025. Twin towers that leave 60% of the ground open.
- [Assetium Sakina](https://slate-atelier.com/work/assetium-sakina): Apartments in United City, Dhaka by SLATE for Assetium Real Estate. Under construction, 2026. Terraced residential tower wrapped in balcony planters.
- [Edison Juno](https://slate-atelier.com/work/edison-juno): 28 apartments in Bashundhara R/A, Dhaka by SLATE for Edison Real Estate. Under construction, 2025. Nine-storey, 28-apartment building designed around passive cooling.
- [Apartment at POHS](https://slate-atelier.com/work/apartment-at-pohs): Apartments in POHS, Dhaka by SLATE for Private client. Under construction, 2026. Two homes per floor behind a façade of planted balconies.
- [CSRM Jolshiri](https://slate-atelier.com/work/csrm-jolshiri): Apartments in Jolshiri, Dhaka by SLATE for CSRM Real Estate. Under construction, 2026. Cantilevered planted terraces on a corner site.
- [Rafta Riviera](https://slate-atelier.com/work/rafta-riviera): Apartments in Uttara, Dhaka by SLATE for Rafta Real Estate. Under construction, 2026. Stacked white volumes and planted terraces in Uttara.
- [Raywhite Skylora](https://slate-atelier.com/work/raywhite-skylora): Apartments in Jolshiri, Dhaka by SLATE for Raywhite Real Estate. Under construction, 2025. Apartments with curved balconies and green hanging yards.
- [Navana P039](https://slate-atelier.com/work/navana-p039): Apartments in Jolshiri, Dhaka by SLATE for Navana Real Estate. Under construction, 2025. Waterfront apartments planned for cross-ventilation.
- [Fortress Elysium](https://slate-atelier.com/work/fortress-elysium): Apartments in Jolshiri, Dhaka by SLATE for Fortress Real Estate. Under construction, 2025. Apartments with asymmetric balcony gardens.
- [Edison Orleans](https://slate-atelier.com/work/edison-orleans): Apartments in Bashundhara R/A, Dhaka by SLATE for Edison Real Estate. Under construction, 2025. Apartments built around shared community terraces.
- [Edison Tamora](https://slate-atelier.com/work/edison-tamora): Apartments in Uttara, Dhaka by SLATE for Edison Real Estate. Under construction, 2025. Apartments with a double-height entrance and water garden.
- [Edison Luxe Vista](https://slate-atelier.com/work/edison-luxe-vista): Apartments in Jolshiri, Dhaka by SLATE for Edison Real Estate. Under construction, 2025. Light-toned apartments with private hanging yards.
- [Edison Celia](https://slate-atelier.com/work/edison-celia): Apartments in Bashundhara R/A, Dhaka by SLATE for Edison Real Estate. Under construction, 2025. A slim tower framed by timber screens and roof gardens.
- [Handyman Apartment](https://slate-atelier.com/work/handyman-apartment): Apartments in Jolshiri, Dhaka by SLATE for Handyman Properties. Under construction, 2025. A slender tower with hanging gardens on every floor.
- [Edison Camillo](https://slate-atelier.com/work/edison-camillo): Apartments in Bashundhara R/A, Dhaka by SLATE for Edison Real Estate. Under construction, 2024. Family apartments with deep shading and private foyers.
- [Edison Elena](https://slate-atelier.com/work/edison-elena): Apartments in Jolshiri, Dhaka by SLATE for Edison Real Estate. Under construction, 2024. Stacked glass and grey frames, softened by balcony planting.
- [Ace Opal](https://slate-atelier.com/work/ace-opal): Retail and office in Bashundhara R/A, Dhaka by SLATE for Ace Developers. Concept, 2026. Retail and office tower with a stair that becomes its identity.

## Tools

- [FAR Calculator](https://slate-atelier.com/FAR/): free online tool for Dhaka plots — works out FAR, buildable area, project cost and price per sqft under DAP 2022–2035 and Imarat Nirman Bidhimala 2025.

## Notes

Short articles by SLATE on FAR, building rules, plot feasibility and design in Bangladesh.

### [Before the first line is drawn: how FAR decides your building](https://slate-atelier.com/notes/how-far-works-in-dhaka)

Published 14 November 2026 by Syed Mohammed Imran.
Bangla version (বাংলা): https://slate-atelier.com/notes/how-far-works-in-dhaka/bn

Through one landowner's story, how RAJUK's 2025 rules decide what a Dhaka plot can carry: two FAR numbers, the road outside the gate, what is not counted, and how floor area becomes floors.

Every family that buys land in Dhaka carries the same quiet hope: one day, a home of our own, built right. Between that hope and the building stands a number most people have never heard of. Let me tell it as a story. Call him Shahin bhai.

Shahin bhai and his younger brother put twenty years of savings into a 5-katha plot in Bashundhara. Within a month, a developer came with a joint-venture offer. "How many floors will you give us?" Shahin bhai asked. The developer said nine. A friend said ten was possible. Nobody showed him the calculation.

How much can this land carry?

When he came to us, the first thing we told him was this: the answer does not start with floors. It starts with FAR, the floor area ratio. FAR is the counted floor area a building may have, divided by the area of its plot.

His 5 katha is about 3,600 sq ft. At a FAR of 3.5, the land can carry about 12,600 sq ft of counted floor area. Every floor, every flat and every price comes after that number.

Two numbers, not one

Under Imarat Nirman Bidhimala 2025, every plot has two FAR figures. One comes from the Detailed Area Plan (DAP 2022–2035) for its block. The other comes from the width of the road in front of its gate.

The lower of the two is the base. The higher is the ceiling. Incentives in the DAP can lift a project from the base towards the ceiling, never above it. Only block development, urban regeneration areas and transit-oriented development may go up to 0.5 beyond. And if the two figures are within 0.1 of each other, the plot simply gets the higher one.

The road outside the gate

Shahin bhai had always thought of his road as just a road. In the rules, it is half of his answer.

For flats in the highest-density zone, road-based FAR is 3.25 on a 6 m road (about 20 ft), 3.50 on 9 m (about 30 ft), 4.00 on 12 m, 4.25 on 18 m and 4.75 on 24 m or wider. Between two steps it rises in proportion: a 25 ft road gives about 3.39, not 3.25. If a plot faces two roads, the wider one counts.

His road was 30 ft wide and his block's DAP figure was higher, so the road set his base: 3.50.

If the master plan will widen a road, FAR is the average of today's width and tomorrow's, and the land given up for it comes back as three times its area in floor area.

What is not counted

Then came the good news. Some spaces do not use up FAR at all:

The stair, up to the size of the typical-floor stair
The lift machine room
Floors used only for parking, including up to a quarter of that floor for services, stair and lift
Electro-mechanical rooms such as the generator and pump room
Cantilevered balconies and hanging planters, each up to 2.5% of that floor's area

Used well, these rules give a family more space to live in, not less.

Six floors or eight?

Floor area becomes floors through ground coverage. On a plot of his size, 268 to 402 m², the building may cover between 46.5% and 62.5% of the land.

At the largest footprint, 12,600 sq ft makes 6 floors. At the smallest, it makes 8, because in RAJUK practice a part floor counts as a full one.

That was the moment Shahin bhai stopped asking "how many floors?" and started asking "what kind of home?". Fewer, wider floors, or more, slimmer ones with open ground, light and air around them.

Before you sign

He went back to the developer with the numbers, and the conversation changed. This time the share, the unit sizes and the open ground were agreed on facts, not promises.

A building is not just four walls. It is a place to breathe. Before you sign, check your plot in our free FAR Calculator. For a full study of your land, talk to SLATE.

### [The plot that waited: Purbachal's +0.5 FAR and a six-month clock](https://slate-atelier.com/notes/purbachal-plus-half-far)

Published 14 November 2026 by Syed Mohammed Imran.
Bangla version (বাংলা): https://slate-atelier.com/notes/purbachal-plus-half-far/bn

A DAP amendment gives residential plots of 5 katha and above in Purbachal and Jhilmil an extra 0.5 FAR, if plans are submitted within six months. One family's story of what that means, and how to move fast without rushing.

In Purbachal there are plots where the grass has grown for years. Fenced, paid for, and waiting. Let me tell the story of one of them, as an illustration. Call the owners Nasrin apa and her husband.

They had been allotted 5 katha in Purbachal long ago. Life got in the way: a son abroad, a retirement, a house in the city that was enough for now. "Some day," they said. The plot waited.

In October 2026 the news came, and Nasrin apa called us the same evening. "Is it true? Should we hurry?"

What changed

The government has amended the Detailed Area Plan (DAP). Residential plots of at least 334.45 m², which is 5 katha, in the Purbachal and Jhilmil projects now get an additional 0.5 FAR on top of their existing allowance.

What 0.5 means on the ground

Numbers like 0.5 sound small on paper. On her plot of about 3,600 sq ft, 0.5 FAR adds about 1,800 sq ft of floor area. On a 10-katha plot, it adds about 3,600 sq ft.

For Nasrin apa, that was not a number. It was one more floor. Perhaps the flat her son might come home to one day.

The six-month clock

The incentive comes with two conditions:

Submit plans to RAJUK within six months, starting 15 October 2026. That window closes in mid-April 2027.
Build up to plinth level within one year of final approval. Miss it, and the plan approval fee is charged 20 times over.

Some reports describe the first condition as plans approved, not just submitted, within the six months. Read the gazette for your plot and submit early rather than late.

Under the 2025 rules, RAJUK has 30 days to decide on a planning permit, longer for large or special buildings. But a good submission needs a proper design behind it, and a design needs time. Six months is shorter than it looks.

Hurry, but do not rush

"So we should rush?" she asked. No. We should start. There is a difference.

Rushing is drawing the biggest box the rules allow and calling it a building. Starting is sitting down in the first week and answering the right questions:

Is the plot 5 katha or more, and residential?
How wide is the road in front of it, and which road is wider if there are two?
What do the new numbers give: floor area, floors, unit mix, parking and cost?
If you are in a joint venture, do the numbers both sides signed on still hold? The extra area changes them.
Can the design be ready to submit well before the window closes?

What the plot was waiting for

Nasrin apa's plot had waited for years. It could not wait any longer, but it did not need to be rushed either. The extra floor is only worth having if the building works: homes with light and air, sensible parking, and a plan that sells. The incentive rewards speed. It should not cost the building its quality.

Check your plot's allowable FAR in our free FAR Calculator, then talk to SLATE about a feasibility study and design.

## Frequently asked questions

### What architectural services does SLATE provide?

SLATE designs residential apartment towers, commercial office buildings, retail centres, mixed-use developments, interiors and multi-tower master plans across Bangladesh. We specialise in real estate product development for land owners and developers.

### What does "Design with purpose" mean at SLATE?

Every design decision has to earn its place, either by improving the experience of the people who use the building or by improving the project. We start with how people arrive, move, live and gather, then plan the apartments, common spaces and façade around that: daylight in every room, air moving through each unit, balconies and hanging yards that work as real rooms, and layouts that use the permitted FAR in full. The result is buildings that are comfortable to live in, efficient to build and easier to sell.

### Can SLATE calculate the maximum buildable area for my plot?

Yes. Our free online FAR Calculator estimates the allowable FAR (Floor Area Ratio), total buildable area, project cost and expected sale price per square foot under DAP 2022–2035 and Imarat Nirman Bidhimala 2025. For a full feasibility review, send us the plot size, road width and location.

### Does SLATE help with joint-venture (JV) land agreements?

Yes. We prepare independent FAR and financial feasibility reports that help land owners and developers agree a fair share ratio. Once the agreement is signed, we carry the full architectural scope, from concept design and RAJUK approval to construction drawings.

### Where does SLATE work?

Throughout Bangladesh. Our current projects are in Dhaka (Bashundhara R/A, Gulshan, Jolshiri, Uttara and Purbachal), Narayanganj, Chattogram, Cumilla, Cox's Bazar, Khulna and Sylhet.

### How do I start a project with SLATE?

Call +88 01749 390 284, message us on WhatsApp or email info@slate-atelier.com with your site location, plot size in katha and front road width. We will arrange a first consultation at our studio in Gulshan 1.

### How are SLATE's design fees structured?

Either as a fixed fee for the project or per square foot of total gross floor area, depending on the project's scale, complexity and scope (for example, full architectural services or a FAR feasibility study only).

### How long do design and RAJUK approval usually take?

Concept to final schematic design usually takes 6 to 12 weeks, depending on the project's size and how quickly decisions are made. RAJUK approval then comes in two stages. First, the Planning Permit: under Imarat Nirman Bidhimala 2025, RAJUK has 30 days to decide, or 45 days for special buildings such as those over 7,500 m². Second, the Construction Permit. In practice, allow 2 to 4 months for both, and longer if Fire Service, CAAB height or environmental clearances are needed. We prepare every submission and follow it through, but the approval time itself rests with RAJUK.


## Pages

- [Work](https://slate-atelier.com/work): all projects
- [Studio](https://slate-atelier.com/studio): about SLATE, services, people, FAQ
- [Syed Mohammed Imran](https://slate-atelier.com/studio/syed-mohammed-imran): profile — Founder and Principal Architect, SLATE
- [Mridula Yousuf](https://slate-atelier.com/studio/mridula-yousuf): profile — Partner and Chief Operating Officer, SLATE
- [Notes](https://slate-atelier.com/notes): articles on FAR, building rules and design in Dhaka
- [Contact](https://slate-atelier.com/contact): address, phone, email