Project Name : SUFI BARI _ A  HOUSE  AT NOWHERE

Location : Lokkhipur, Sreepur, Gazipur        

Total Build Area : 802 sqm

Site Area : 36015 sqm

Project Completion : 2022

Cost : 2,61,71,875 BDT

Architect / Design Team : Roofliners_Studio of                                                    Architecture

Structural Engineer : Shantonu Dey

Construction by : Charuta Private Limited              

Photographer : City Syntax

Image : Design Team

Driven by a yearning for their ancestral roots and childhood memories, a family of West Bengal origin seeks a haven in Bangladesh. This country house transcends a mere dwelling; it's a sanctuary to reconnect with nature and create lasting memories. Here, life moves at a slow, leisurely pace, with modern amenities blending easily with the rural surroundings. The home's calm and serene environment, along with contemporary tranquility, allows residents to spend their days in comfort.

Image : Context Plan

Image : Masterplan

The existing bamboo garden on the site is a junction of air flow from all sides, making the house the focal point of the design. The blocks of the house are arranged separately keeping in mind the patterns of rural households, so that the blocks blend in with the surrounding greenery. Each block is located at different heights. The blocks are located above the seasonal flood water level, not obstructing the natural flow of natural ventilation. These design features ensure natural ventilation in the house at all times and also provide an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Image : Ground Floor Plan

Image : First Floor Plan

The house's landscape evolves with the changing seasons. The lower areas are transformed into water-filled ponds, and the surrounding fertile land and orchards ensure the freshness of the house. The bamboo garden is used in two ways - one, a beautiful place for a peaceful walk, the other, a wild sanctuary for local animals. A selection of trees have been made on site, which cover the pavilions and evoke the surrounding environment as well as the scenic views of the countryside.

From the open roof to the hidden courtyard, every detail of the house is designed to invite the natural environment. Here at night the rustling sound of the bamboo forest and the view of the night sky through the wide windows of the house together create a divine atmosphere. Even toilets are transformed into places of aesthetic enjoyment like observatories.

This sanctuary is run by a self-sufficient system. Sunlight and proper use of monsoon water keep the cropland here fertile. Using small-scale renewable energy here promises to supply home energy needs off-grid in the future. Materials, lovingly collected by the owner over years, find new life in the house's construction, imbuing it with a personal touch.

The project offers a different experience from the hustle and bustle of daily life in Dhaka city, at a slightly slower pace, from the highlands to the lowlands. The magnificence of this project can be understood only by entering inside the building blocks. Time seems to stand still in this place, the rays of light from the small world arrive in the vast environment, where the sky meets the river. From real to unreal, to surreal. From conscious to subconscious, to spirituality. From a place of anywhere to ‘’ A House at Nowhere’’.

Material of Construction Detail:

Less intervention to earth/existing ecology.

·       All trees are treated as land owner of the project.

·      The blocks are structured on grade beam frame in shallow depth of soil when are placed in different level considering & existing land formation.

·    Up to the floor slab concrete columns are continued and then transformed into steel I section with a baseplate joint. This steel structure holds the light weight industrial sheet roof.

·    Meanwhile existing low land designed into two ponds with different depth accommodate different kind of fish farming and an interactive ghat.

·      The soil of the pond used to fill up the field and create an embankment an east side to protect from extreme flood of Bangladesh.

·  To create camouflage with nature green pigmented concrete is chosen for wall & floor, black pigmented concrete is chosen for round column. Which stimulate a water color painting quality to the existing surfaces.

·     As finished material- the materials are chosen based on blending feature with nature and with cherishable memory lane. Outdoor verandah, stairs are finished as cast green pigmented polished concrete, rooms and big terraces are rendered with green Kota stone with regional motif. Interconnected walkways are made of Loha wood plank. All doors and windows are made of Teak wood and big glasses with various operating system.

Special Features:

·       Integration with the nature and built forms - Ponds, Field, Bamboo Garden, Fruit Orchard, Medicinal trees, herb-veg garden, tree corridor, Onsite Local plant nursery & Ghats.

·      Experimental Materials – Pigmented Concrete, Kota Stone with Motif & Hand-Crafted Wood.

·   Sustainability –Self-Sustaining life style allows the inhabitants to live in harmony with the environment without relying on mechanical sustainability system.