Rangpur rug factory named RIBA’s best new building in the world

The Green Field Factory of Karupannya Rangpur in Bangladesh, designed by local firm Nakshabid Architects, has won the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) International Prize 2026.

The seven-storey rug factory was recognised for its worker-focused design, which integrates greenery and shared spaces while prioritising the wellbeing of its approximately 5,000 employees, most of whom are women.

The winner of the biennial prize, awarded for the fifth time since its launch in 2016, was announced at the RIBA Stirling Prize ceremony in London on October 15.

The factory was one of two projects in Bangladesh to make the four-building shortlist. The other was BRAC University in Dhaka, designed by Singapore-based WOHA and known for its naturally ventilated, climate-responsive design, reports UK magazine Architect’s Journal.

The remaining finalists were two projects in Belgium: the renovation of the Royale Belge office tower by Caruso St John, in collaboration with Bovenbouw Architectuur and DDS+, and the Z33 House for Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture in Hasselt, designed by Francesca Torzo Architetto.

The shortlist was selected from 34 projects that received RIBA International Awards for Excellence in June.

According to RIBA, the Green Field Factory offers an alternative model for industrial design by challenging traditional workplace environments and creating new opportunities for its predominantly female workforce.

Spanning more than 144,000 square feet, the factory incorporates landscaped gardens, green verandas and a main wall covered in plants to bring nature into the workplace. The award’s judges described the building as a “work of quiet humility”, CNN reported.

Designed by Nakshabid Architects with inspiration from traditional Bengali homesteads, the factory features courtyards, gardens, water bodies and shaded verandas. Its facilities include a rooftop daycare centre, an on-site medical practice and shaded areas where workers can socialise.

A large statue of a female figure stands at the entrance. The architects said it represents the “strength of women’s empowerment”.

RIBA President Chris Williamson praised the project for its social and environmental approach, describing it as a “thoughtful design [that] dismantles traditional hierarchies to create profound social and environmental change”.

The jury also highlighted the factory’s central entrance, which is shared by workers, managers and owners. In Bangladesh, factory workers and senior staff commonly use separate entrances. Jury chair Bijoy Jain described the shared entrance as an “equanimous shared portal”.

RIBA said its judging panel visited the factory in September and found that employees often used its facilities with their families outside working hours. The organisation said the project presented an “alternative model for factory design and operation”.

In a statement released ahead of the announcement, Nakshabid Architects founder and principal Bayejid M Khondoker said he wanted to “prove that industry can breathe, nurture and inspire”.

“We asked a simple question: What if a factory were designed first as a home for the people who work in it?” he said. “Every courtyard, garden, water body and shaded verandah grew from that question. A factory should not be a machine that consumes human energy. It should be a living place that restores it.”

The award comes against the backdrop of longstanding concerns about factory working conditions in Bangladesh, one of the world’s largest textile producers.

In 2013, the Rana Plaza building, which housed several garment factories outside Dhaka, collapsed, killing around 1,100 people. Workers’ safety concerns had been ignored, and many were forced to return to the building after cracks were discovered.

RIBA said the Green Field Factory’s design challenged “ingrained social hierarchies” while prioritising employee wellbeing.

The prize is among the most prominent international awards for architecture, recognising buildings that demonstrate “visionary, innovative thinking and design excellence”. It was last awarded in 2024 to a six-storey timber social housing project in Barcelona, Spain.

Bangladesh previously won the award in 2021, when Friendship Hospital in Shyamnagar, designed by Kashef Chowdhury of URBANA, received the honour. Other previous winners include a school in rural Brazil and a university in Lima, Peru.

Green Field Factory is operated by Karupannya Rangpur Limited, which produces handmade rugs as well as other textile products, including doormats and bathmats.