Architecture Folio_2023

ARCHITECTURE

FOLIO

Selected Academic & Professional Works

Contents

M.Arch Final Thesis Studio

02 Decolonization of Urban Space

Seeking New Denition for Dhaka’s Urban Residential Neighbourhood through Critical Regionalism

05 Hope Is Good

M.Arch First Year Design Studio

Takhayal Ramallah 2070

B.Arch Final Year Thesis

07 Karnaphuli Riverside Celebration Of A River To Inspire A City

09

B.Arch Fourth Year Design Studio

Visioning Sustainable village Study and Design of Ethnic Rural Settlement

11

13

Professional Architectural Work (BUILT)

bidyanondo sampriti anathalaya school

Exploring Vernacular Craftsmanship to Design an Elementary Children Space

Professional Architectural Work (AWARDED COMPETITION ENTRY)

Golpahar Mohashawshan Temple Complex

Spiritual Landmark x Urban Plaza

Decolonization of Urban Space

SEEKING NEW DEFINITION FOR DHAKA’S URBAN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBOURHOOD THROUGH CRITICAL REGIONALISM

The connuous socio-economic transformaon in Dhaka in the recent decades has created new economic classes and urban residenal landscapes, where profit-oriented development has neglected the humane qualies- alienang people from each other in the process. This 'architecture of alienaon' is contradic-tory to the historically pracced communal living culture in the region where shared collecve spaces and socio-spaal hierarchy created resilient neighbourhoods. The current residenal scenario in Dhaka is dominated by the tall apartments that are detached from the surrounding urban fabric, are mostly produced by copying western colonial scholarship and standards; which have failed in several ways to reflect the local climate, culture, and social paerns. The death of common collecve spaces and effecve communies resulted in more vulnerable urban popul-aon and social straficaon. It is high me to rethink alternave urbanism models with crical evaluaon of local history and cultural lifestyle, and the upcoming urban challenges. There is an opening to explore how to bring back the lost intermediate spaces in our residenal areas to recreate social cohesion and sustainable communies, prevenng the consistent social fragmentaon and economic pressure on marginalized people. In my postgraduate thesis, I discussed the current urban reality of Dhaka and the regional historic selement paerns, to examine the possibilies of reintroducing social reproducon as the key ingredient of the urban residenal place-making process. In the design phase, I have made an aempt to face the challenge by designing policy and codes to define a future of sustainable residenal neighbour-hood creaon in Dhaka.

Formal Informal

40% of total GDP in Dhaka

47,400/sqkm populaon density

only 7% of total housing stock is public

Govt. Employee Housing

Public Housing Private Housing

Serviced Plots for Upper Economy Class

Lower Economy Class Mass Housing

Housing Co-operatives

Real Estate Development

Serviced Plots for High Income People

Owned House

Housing by Tenancy Apartments

Housing by Mess (Barrack houses)

Slums

Dark Ground Floor Vehicular road

Unused setback spaces

Comparave maps show how the core areas of the city are expensive and low income people are pushed to the periphery

Maps show expansion of built area and diminishing Green/Wetland

The Unequal City Skyline shows slums and luxurious areas side by side

A haphazard congested unplanned informal Residenal Area Traffic jams and high polluon level are regular suffering

Photo showing newly developed area with narrow dead vehicular street,boundary walls

Google aerial view of Uara Housing Area, one formal developed housing

Key Housing Typology in Dhaka

The Tradional Rural Living in Bengal

One can find four major hierarchical elements for proper livable selements in tradional rural selement; starng from the private house, secondly the inmate contact spaces, thirdly the neighbourhood meeng places and lastly the larger scale principal urban area like Bazar (marketplace) or open field. In our tropical hot-humid climate many of the daily life chores and meengs happen in open or semi-open shaded spaces. The in-between spaces of inmate contact, the shaded gathering places have always been a major consideraon in communal rural neighbourhoods.

The Indigenous Urban Sprawl: Old Dhaka

The nave urban living example can be found in the older parts of Dhaka, famously known as 'Puran Dhaka', where an indigenous urban living paern grew with me. The indigenous urban fabric suggests it adapted and transformed into a denser urban spaal paern from rural selement paerns. Low height mul-storied houses are generally owner occupied, home to an extended joint family where people from three generaons live together.

The socio-spaal hierarchy and closely bonded community find their socio-spaal hierarchy in the sequence of spaces: private house - bylanes - lanes - mini gathering spaces in the nodes (Morh) - Larger gathering spaces (Chawk) - major market street as the axial spine. The narrow lanes are vibrant with street life and the shops, making it what Oscar Newman said a 'Defensible space' (Newman, 1996).

Existing Building Codes

Setback Rule: This is rule which governs the minimum setback spaces for each plot, where the plot owner in no way build. This is to ensure that the built form leaves a minimal space from the surrounding built form or plot.

Maximum Ground Coverage (MGC):

This rule defines the maximum built area, or in other words the maximum floor area. This is generally less than the space that is le aer leaving setback, unless the plot is very small(less than 150 sqm).

As an example, for a 300 sqm site MGC is 62.5 %.

Street Secon showing lowrise, compact, inmate seng of Old Dhaka; with interacve rooop, terraces, and street level

Floor Area Rao (FAR):

This rule defines the number of floors. It is generally a quoent. As an example, for a 300 sqm site FAR is 3.50. That means maximum floor space allowed to build will be= Land Area x Far

= 300 x 3.5

=1050 sq m

So if anybody uses MGC as floor size, the number of floors will be = 1050/187.5 = 5.6 floors

Privacy based zoning and spaal arrangement in different house types

Spaal Hierarchy in Old Dhaka Neighbourhood

Spaal Hierarchy: Rural Selement

Design Development:

The selected site for design intervenon was ‘Aab Nagar Housing Project, where real estate group already sand infilled the land and built the roads and some of housing block are completely sold out and built.

The design started with the exisng infrastructure situaon and the aempt was to improvise the housing blocks that are sll not sold out. Re-thinking of exisng building codes and implying them to make a beer housing condion that helps to grow a stronger community with customized economic opportunity was the design concept.

Mini-square inside Housing area

Visualization:

Housing Block Plan

Axonometric view showing residenal yards, terraces and street life

Hope Is Good

TAKHAYAL RAMALLAH 2070

This Studio was focused on crically re-thinking city- and place-making,and processes of producing socio-polically symbolic spaces. Developed designs were done to work through scenarios for a radical reconfiguraon of exisng realies in the city of Ramallah, through re-imagining the relaonship between subject, me and space.

We plan and design cies while we assume a moment of rupture (e.g. earthquake, flood)as extraordinary, exceponal. But what if we start looking at moments of rupture as periodic, inherent to the system, and therefore think of possibilies and alternaves in producing the cies of tomorrow around such moments?.... That said, this is what theinsurance system is built on, and is a foundaonal tool of neoliberal capitalism, and therewith, contemporary city-making.

In this studio we conducted some short readings, research and watched short films to develop an analysis, and therefrom imaginary scenarios for how the city of Ramallah could look like in the futuree.g. in 2046 or 2084. Scenarios were build on a set of assumpons that were worked in the studio, and centralised the goal of climatechange adaptaon. We worked from the exisng realies to produce futurisc, speculave, and wildly imaginave proposals.

Idea of future city

foci / ASSUMPTIONS / targets for 2070

Economically

- Need to break economic dependency by creang alternave forms of civic economies

- Need to create measures to protect against colonial mechanism, and Disaster Capitalism

- Think of potenal of circular economy and locaonal recycling of resources with food security

Socially

- Lack of Social Infrastructure and maldistribuon >> Improve availability and accessibility

- Otherness and fragmentaon – Improve socialisaon possibilies in everyday city spaces

Environmentally

- Re-think infrastructures to cope with climate change and issues of disaster(flooding) risk reducon.

- Create infrastructures that provide beer and just access to basic resources (water, electricity).

Polically

- Emergencies and herbicide >> normalise 'uncertainty' in urban planning discourses.

- A changed percepon on urban land ownership enabling commoning / collecvising ownership

Spaally

- Planning new neighbourhoods to have a density of 150 Persons / Hectar

- Producve cies + the need for hybrid spaces to foster diversity and survive uncertaines

Challenges for Ramallah

Self-sufficient

The Site Surrounding with the valley

M. Arch First Year Design Studio

Site Plan

Top of hills preserved for wind power generation

Key Zoning Ideas

Design Concept

“If your plan for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for 10 years, plant trees. If your plan is for 100 years, educate children.”

-Confucius

Ramallah, the de-facto capital of Palesne needs to make its way out from the ‘Consumpon-heavy’ and ‘Class-driven’ urban landscape it has now. With no proper polical rights, not even rights on their own land and movement, it is difficult to see light at the end of the tunnel. But when I am asked to imagine, I can not lose hope, I imagine an uprise to upside down the corrupted authority, and people invest all their resources and efforts for a beer future. Build great communies, be strategic on energy use and produce, design a city for kids. So that these kids can change the socio-economic scenario in future, can fight for the long cherished sovereignty, break Israeli chains with innovave approach.

Axonometric

Karnaphuli Riverside

CELEBRATION OF A RIVER TO INSPIRE A CITY

The river Karnaphuli is one of the important Trans-boundary river systems in the South Asia. Originang from the Lushai hill in Mizoram, India, it flows through Chiagong Hill Tracts and Chiagong into the Bay of Bengal. The mouth of the river hosts Chiagong seaport, the main port of Bangladesh. The Chiagong city has been developed on the west bank of the Karnaphuli River.

Karnaphuli was always an integral part and cultural backdrop for the city. Oldest localies and communies grew along the river. Many people’s livelihood are sll related to the river.

At present, the river itself became inaccessible to the majority of the city’s residents. Becauseof illegal private ownership of some riverside land and the informal selements, there are few public access points to the river. The River bank, between the port and Shah Amanat bridge has been encroached by individuals and groups for residenal and industrial use. Polluon is caused by dumping of solid waste by adjacent land users and also through oil spills from country boats. Lile or zero awareness about the importance of water channels connected to the river made them dirty and narrow. The city, needless to say, is suffering fromunplanned urbanizaon and lack of proper public place/open spaces.

Therefore, I decided to choose a 2 km stretch from the connuous riverbank beside the city. That parcular site was chosen for there live the oldest urban localies, who have some emoonal and cultural connecon with the river, also a new Marine road was just built along the river creang some potenal land pieces beside river to be excellent public places.

River health

-Dredging

-Waste treatment

-Eviction of illegal structures

-Urban river beach

Shrubs and herbs

Riparian vegetation

Birds Playground

-Vetiver grasses

-Boats -Open play space

at dry season

-Brick pave

-Riverview -River edge protection

Landscape

-Defining river edge

-Riverbank protection

-Planned riparian vegetation

Infrastructure -Recreation & Entertainment facilities

-Safety & security

Big trees

Local trees

Relaxing, calm walkway

Soft pave

Seating

Shaded green

1st level vegetation

Relax and rest

Upper promenade

-continuous pedestrian

-Street shops

-Shading trees

Upper promenade

-Food court

-Entertainment

Marine Road

Urban Issue

-Relive the ghats

-Improve connectivity

-Protecting natural green & waterbodies

Green slope

Boat gallery Riverside pave View deck

Shading trees

-Pedestrian

-Cycle track

Waterfront designing should take into account seasonal changes. Different scenarios and acvies are designed for summer/rainy/winter season.

The low wetland area will help building a resistance against flood, using and retaining the extra water. On dry days, this lower spaces along river will work as green urban parks and play fields, even event space.

Secon through the road, site and river

Winter high water scenario

Secon through the road, site and river

Monsoon flood scenario

Expansion of city Chiagong area with me, originang from riverside, expanding inwards.

RECREATION & TOURISM

Local Boat display

Gallery Info Center

Riverside walk Viewing deck Ghats

COMMUNITY FUNCTIONS

Connuos pedestrian Open Amphi Market/Fair area Boang plaorm Open playspace & Green

Fishery boat area

Resng place for fishermen

Cold storage & processing

Evicon of illegal structuresbeside channels, and protect as valuable vegetaon area.

Protecng exisng green spaces and connect them to achieve a green network along river and road.

Old fishery market and cold storage place turned into community park.

New locon of fishery market and fishery ghat, minimizing transport hassle and jam 0m 100m 200m 500 m

FISHERY GHAT

Master Plan

B. Arch Fourth Year Design Studio

Visioning Sustainable Village STUDY AND DESIGN OF ETHNIC RURAL HUMAN SETTLEMENT

Site: Hobuarchala, Gosaibari.

Kaliakoir, Gazipur

Distance from main town: 8.12 km

Distance from reserved forest area: 0.6 km

Current Selement Paern: Rural. Amorphous. Scaered. Profession: Agriculture, Livestock, Small business.

Sal Forest is a forest type dominated by a single plant species, commonly known as Sal tree (Shorea robusta). It belongs to the category 'Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest'. Just 100 years ago, this invaluable forest land occupied a lot more land area. Connuous unplanned deforestaon for human need, as well as spread of scaered selement through the area has been detrimental to the forest ecology.

One of the main objecve of the project was to save the forest land, proposing acompact rural selement paern which will coexist with the forest not creang any harm to the trees and bio-diversity.

The another objecve was to invesgate the common rural housing paern of Bangladesh, and see how ideas of ‘Compact township’ can provide beer opportunies and create a more sustainable future for a country which is suffering to accommodate its huge populaon. Also, design decisions were made with precision to ensure the new design soluons do not compromise with the essence of rural life, but promotes opportunies for future development.

The village site we worked on was home to ethnic people, who had a close relaonwith the forest. Notably, a range of tribal people(Garo and Koch) has been dwelling and they are dependent on Sal forests for their total livelihood.

1 Rural road

2 Cluster Housing Unit with inner yard

3 Common playground/Community place

4 Central Pubic zone with -School & playground -Mosque -Community Club -Church

5 Shal forest

6 Baid -low land areas/ Agricultural land

Secon through the courtyard of a community cluster of houses

The excessive amount of populaon and its fast growth rate has already created serious problems in Bangladesh, including loss of agricultural land, less livable cies and deforestaon. Compact township is a notable idea, from Economist Professor Salim Rashid. The idea is basically a futurisc planned approach of rural selements, where a number of ‘selement units’ will be formed with all basic facilies and housing. They will replace the exisng scaered rural homesteads, and preserve valuable culvable land and will be flood resilient. The design idea is highly inspired from the compact township theory, applying the concept in ethnic rural village to save the forest land around.

Expandable Housing Unit

Axonometric View of the small clusters of family houses

Professional Architectural Work (BUILT)

Bidyanondo Sampriti Orphanage School

EXPLORING VERNACULAR CRAFTSMANSHIP TO DESIGN AN ELEMENTARY CHILDREN SPACE

Locaon: Baidyapara, Idgarh, Ramu, Cox Bazar

Client: Bidyanondo Foundaon

Site Area: 3300 sqm/ 0.81 acre

Year of Commencement: 2019

Year of Compleon: 2020

Architect[s]: Kanak Saha , A.K.M. Saleh Ahmed Anik, Sayon Sur

The school building is a bamboo-built structure on a raised mber plaorm, measuring roughly 28 m x 13 m. The pavilion-like school is placed carefully along the waterbody in a way that it can have enough space for assembly and playing space on the front yard, and also have a visual connecon with the surrounding water and farmlands. The classrooms are arranged in a staggered manner to open up two semi-outdoor study/recreaon areas on the front and back. The regional architecture of the southern part of Bangladesh and in the hill tracts are idencal in the use of a series of open, semi-open and interior closed spaces; parcularly for the hot-humid climac features. The raised plaorm is a major architectural element in hill tracts, which helps here to let flow the rainwater on the ground coming down from the hills and to protect the mber.

Front Elevaon

The ponds surrounding the built form are well protected and used for fish and water lily farming, adding to the sustainability and versality of the school. The school here, not only imagined as a typical one, consists of classrooms and fields. But as a utopian idea where children learn not only from books, but also from the nature surrounding it and praccal knowledge like fishing or farming inside the school territory. Hence, openness and connecon to the agricultural landscape was a key consideraon. The foyer has a metaphorical hearth at the center which is meant to grow a tree inside the built form, to celebrate the local spirit of living close to nature.

The basic materials-bamboo and wood were sourced locally. The roof was covered with Golpata (collected from the Sundarbans area), as we needed a roofing material that keeps the interior cool enough in the hot humid weather of Cox's bazar and is comparavely low maintenance, also it creates a beauful combinaon with the other materials used. In the end, the local crasmen did an excellent job and even improvised some of the soluons themselves. The elegant bamboo truss structure holds the built form, and the facade was also built of bamboo, where the facades were used to create shelves and recesses for mulple uses. The bamboo walls were designed in simple paerns and can be removed to create connuous open space inside to be used as a mulpurpose hall.

The landscape was more funconal in a sense because the beauful ponds and the trees that were planted around the built form - were meant to add economic benefit as well as merge with the greenery of site surroundings. The plants were mostly fruits and vegetables which will be used to feed the children only. The fish farming and water lily pond also came with the idea of praccal learning of children and producing food for them. We planted some bigger tree plants on the periphery to create shade, most of them are sll growing.

Professional Architectural Work (COMPETITION ENTRY)

Golpahar Mohashawshan Temple Complex

SPIRITUAL LANDMARK X URBAN PLAZA

Awarded Special Mention

Naonal Design Compeon Arranged by IAB - 2021

Design Team : Kanak Kan Saha, Jhalak Ranjan Das, Sayon Sur, Kwoshik Kumar

Site : Golpahar mor, Chiagong.

Site Area : 0.33 Acres.

Golpahar Mohashawshan Temple has a deep rooted history and a special place in every Chiagong cizen heart, the idea was to create a special religious landmark that revives the place not only as a religious complex but also as a place for cizens to gather and interact. To connect to people with their spiritual side, we arranged the temple plaza in respect with both Hindu & Bengal Culture. The temple plaza is designed in such a way that it not only encourages an individual to aend a religious ritual but also helps to be engaged in a social interacon. The open 2nd floor or the temple plaza is kept as an unobstructed open space, welcoming urban residents of the densely built city to enjoy a breathing space well above road level. Inspired from massive public plazas (like the Jama Mosque public plaza in Delhi) the idea is to let people come and connect to reduce the religious hatred and polarizaon. Also the plaza along with large mulpurpose hall, allows arranging fesvals and gatherings. As one of the most prominent & old temple complexes of Chaogram, Golpahar Mohashawshan Temple has a duty to strengthen the bond among people of different culture. We believe, the more we explore our visions & ideas, be open to each other, the more we become helpful & understanding towards other people.

Exploded Axonometric View of Temple Complex

TRADITIONAL BENGAL TEMPLE:

Rooyope: Dochala, Chouchala

Small Garbhagriha surrounded by open Pradakshina Path.

In contrast of tradional dark & gloomy approach, the Gorbhogriho of the temple provides a well-lit sha channeling the light through a more simplified version on Bengal Temple Shikhara indicave of clear and open atude of the architectural intervenon.

There are 3 different ways to the temple plaza. One is universal, more appropriate for the physically challenged people; going through building lobby & using the lis. The second is more inving way, the front open staircase decorated with brick jali. It dominates the roadside elevaon to welcome people to seek & explore to the temple complex on the 2nd floor. The third is the most excing one, resembling a Porikroma Path, a ramp corridor that goes around the temple complex. The journey will allow people to really devote themselves to a spiritual goal.