Project Name: DuSai Resort & Spa
Location: Moulovi Bazar, Sylhet
Client: Nasser Rahman
Total Build Area: 11103.42 sqm
Project Commencement: 2010
Project Completion: 2013
Cost: $25.9 million
Architect/Design Team: Vitti Sthapati Brindo Ltd.,
Md. Ishtiaque Zahir
Md. Iqbal Habib
Nabila Aftab
Nabila Ali
Structural Engineer: Tofazzel Hossain, Achintya Kumar Saha
Photographer: Hasan Saifuddin Chandan, Ahsanul Haque Rubel, Digita Interactive Limited
[Project information collected from office “ Vitti Sthapati Brindo Ltd.”]
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Dusai Resort & Spa is located in the lush green hills of a tea garden in northeastern Bangladesh. Built on a hillside, the resort resembles a traditional “Khasia” village. At the same time,the combination of the green of the mountains with the blue of the sky has created a unique image. Bangladesh is a very flat country in general. Some hilly areas exist only in the North-East and South-East regions. The formal construction sector here is not very familiar with construction on hills. So, they generally follow a very conservative approach which is to either remove the hill top and build on it or to build at the base of the hill blocking drainage. But the informal sector, learning from nature itself, tends to build on the slope.Vernacular architecture in Bangladesh features courtyards and clusters. Individual houses are built around courtyards which in turn form clusters. The houses of ‘Khasia’ people of Sylhet are built in close proximity to each other and are built often in parallel lines, a fairly broad space being reserved between the lines of houses to serve as a street.Their housing layout follows a linear cluster pattern. The length of traditional khasi house is generally large in scale. It is called ‘ingtrep’ or ‘hut’. The houses on the scaffolding (three functions – open platform, veranda and interior) are like simple rectilinear and the open platform is connected by a ladder. The overall design of Dusai Resort is designed following this principle. The various functions of the resort are grouped around the courtyards to form clusters and the connection between the clusters is made by a path that follows the natural form. |
Image : Traditional Layout - House Form & Orientation of Khasi Houses |
| The climate of the region warrants year-round heavy rainfall and flash floods. Therefore, for proper water-management and storm-resilience, pitched roofs have been incorporated in all the built structures. To keep the natural contour undisturbed, the buildings have been placed on concrete frames anchored to the ground, allowing the villas to hang on the edge of the slope. Service amenities blend semi private and private zones. Existing trees frame the setting of the villas. The linear site imparts an impression of a journey. Above all, the most important aspect of this resort is to help the guests to relish the essence of living within nature. Therefore, the aesthetic of the resort relies heavily on nature over man-made structures. |
Image : Conceptual Drawing |
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Image : Masterplan of Dusai Resort & Spa |
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Image : Longitudinal Sections |
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Image : Elevation of Tea Valley Restaurant | Harbored in the serene green hillocks of tea plantations in northeast Bangladesh, “DuSai Resort & Spa” is the first destination resort of its kind in Bangladesh.It includes residential, dining, swimming pool, spa, conference, and indoor and outdoor sports facilities. The site consists of three shallow hills and valleys. The public area with reception and convention hall is placed on the first hill and all the guest rooms are places on the slope of the hills for ease of movement. Other facilities are placed towards the valley. |
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Image : Tea Valley Restaurant Plan |
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| The vehicular circulation ends in public area and the journey towards guest area starts by foot or electric car. The internal roads and walkways are placed in a round trip encompassing the complex, allowing one to travel the whole area in circular motion. The guest facility features a main hotel block and stand-alone bungalows. There are two types of bungalows: cottages for families in a semi-private setting and deluxe cottages for couples in a more private setting, on the slopes of the south-facing hill. Service amenities blend semi private and private zones. All the upper floors of the villas and the valley restaurant have exposed roof structure with bamboo & thatch roof ceiling. In some public spaces, there are exposed roof structures with wood and wood veneered finished ceiling. The hand rails, grab bars and doors are made with locally acquired aged walnut colored solid wood. All outdoor surfaces are naturally finished, so that they blend with the surrounding green landscape. Pitch roofs are a mix of handmade mud tiles and thatched roof with high pitch varying 24-40 degrees slope to withhold the heavy rain during monsoon. |
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Image : Reception Hall - Open pavilion styled structure with sloped, mud tiled roof and wooden truss framing, set in lush green and non-air conditioned. |
Image : Valley Restaurant - This one is built as a curve respecting natural contour. Roof has a composite wood and metal frame structure with thatch. |
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Image : Valley Restaurant - Deep overhanging thatch roof, lattice like wooden frame work together forms a distinct look. This one is also naturally ventilated. |
Image : Thacth roof, wood and metal composite truss, wooden frame work all are visible here. Interior decor has been kept to a minimum to emphasize the structure itself. |
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Image : Swimming pool - It is set in a natural dip, surrounded by dense vegetation providing required privacy. | The resort has 4 suite villas, duplex, and triplex villas with two-bedroom suites for 40 guests and 5 luxury villas, 24 rooms for 48 guests (4 separate guest rooms in each villa). Each has a veranda from which you can enjoy breathtaking nature. The north side of the resort has a large swimming pool the surroundings with green nature of beauty. On the south side, there is another pool and 10 boats for tourists. It looks like a piece of blue sea in the middle of the green. These pools have been built in such a beautiful way in the middle of the whole resort that you can spend all day sitting here talking to your loved ones. |
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Image : Main Hotel Plan |
Image : Main Hotel Section |
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Image : A trail among large shading trees lead up to the thatched two storey Bungalows | The resort showcases a hybrid construction system of indigenous tea estate bungalows and standardized concrete frame structures. Local indigenous wood joinery techniques are combined with contemporary metal joinery systems. The results are sleek, lightweight wooden trusses that also have metal plates, nuts, and bolts. Slender, concrete framing anchored to the ground raises the structure above the soil. A roof truss forms the shape of the structure, which is then cladded with locally available lightweight thatch and mud tiles. These raised structures are approached by independent open-riser stairs. Local technology and materials with local workmanship have been extensively used here. The project construction materials comprise locally available materials combined with indigenous construction techniques. Concrete structure infills comprise brick walls. Outdoor facades have been rendered with fair-face cement plaster and indoor facades with regular cement mortar plaster. Except for the Villas with wooden floors, all floors are finished with homogenous matt finished tiles. General ceilings are cement plastered and finished with paint while some parts are dry gypsum plaster finished. |
| Contributor: Architect Nishi Shaymoon Nirnoy upodestha ltd, Panthapath |
