When the notification first flashed across her screen, Saraf Nawer froze. It didn’t feel real. She read the message again and again, checking the sender and the message to ensure she hadn’t misunderstood.

Bangladesh’s vulnerability to earthquakes and unsafe construction has once again come into sharp focus, as two major initiatives meant to safeguard lives and buildings remain stalled.

Recent tremors have done more than shake the ground. They have unsettled assumptions we quietly live with, especially the belief that safety is something to think about later. Earthquakes arrive without warning, but the risks they expose are often years in the making. This issue turns its focus to that reality, not with alarmism, but with purpose

The paint industry is shifting as consumers increasingly choose eco-friendly options due to health and environmental concerns over traditional paints’ volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This demand is driving the sustainable paint market’s rapid growth. It is likely to reach a valuation of US$213.83 billion by 2033.

Owning a pet in Dhaka has always meant companionship, warmth, and a fair bit of chaos. But as the city has traded courtyards and rooftops for high-rise apartments, pet ownership has become more complicated.I’ve had animals all my life, from dogs and cats to, at one point, more birds than I could count.

In this interview with The Daily Star, Tajrian Akther, a Dhaka University graduate now working as an Electrical Commissioning specialist in BHP South Australia’s Copper mines, shares her story of breaking into global opportunities.

Blank walls can be intimidating. You’ve got a stack of paintings or prints, a hammer in hand, and a vague idea of what might look good. Where do you even begin? That’s where the 3-5-7 rule comes in. It’s a simple design principle built on the idea of hanging artwork in groups of odd numbers: three, five, or seven.

In Tejgaon’s industrial corridor, a new landmark has risen as a statement of ambition. Trade Intercontinental, a 32-storey high-rise, is one of South Asia’s rare USGBC LEED Platinum pre-certified buildings and yet another milestone for Bangladesh’s architectural landscape.

In a world that constantly vies for our attention, the quest for a pocket of peace within our own homes has become more than a luxury; it is a necessity. You can create your own space just in your home, a dedicated Zen corner.

Urban apartments can benefit from a little green space. Even a tiny balcony can become an outdoor oasis with the right touches.

The traditional dream of a sprawling family home is rapidly shifting in Bangladesh’s fast-growing cities. Soaring property prices, limited land, and shrinking living spaces are rewriting the housing story.

The skyline of tomorrow is not yet built. Its foundations are being laid not on construction sites, but in the bustling, late-night studios of our nation’s universities.

Conventional construction methods traditionally require significant time and resources due to on-site processes and are often costly.

We’ve all seen it happen. Someone buys a full set of weights, a treadmill, maybe even one of those multi-station monstrosities, and six months later the whole thing is either draped in laundry or glaring at guests from the corner of the living room. Some of you reading this have seen this happen to treadmills. 

In Dhaka’s rainy season, even a brand-new building can betray its owners. Picture a young family in Gulshan waking up to a steady drip from the ceiling after an evening storm.

Most people, on hearing this, react with disbelief. This is too good to be true.

The hum of Dhaka’s real estate market has grown uneven.

We are delighted to welcome you to the latest issue of Your Property Guru, presented by The Daily Star.

At the beginning or end of every month, a familiar sight unfolds on our streets: moving trucks laden with the entire contents of a life, making their way from one chapter to the next.

Just recently, a video made the rounds online of a domestic worker hitting the children she was meant to care for.