Project Place: Uttara, Sector-17J, Dhaka.

Name: Methila Farjana

Project Year: 2024

Project Guide Teacher: Architect Ziaul Islam and Architect Zareen Habiba

Head of the Department: Dr. Nabanita Islam

University: University of Asia Pacific

The urban poor are largely the overflow of the rural poor who had migrated to urban areas in search of alternative employment and livelihood, laborers who do a variety of casual jobs and the self-employed who sell a variety of things on roadsides and are engaged in various activities.

Currently in Dhaka, almost 35% of people lives below poverty line. In our context urban poor are the people who faces hardship to maintain an average urban lifestyle within their limited income. Mostly migrates from village for better life quality, better income, better education, some are natural disaster refugees. Maximized portion of this population are seen to live in slum conditions in Dhaka city. So, slum dwellers remain a large portion of the population of Dhaka.

ছবি: শহুরে দরিদ্র

Current living condition and rent per/sqft:

As it is quite evident that slums are not an ideal place to live in. If the rent is 23-28 taka per/sqft in developed area, slum dwellers pay 36-42 taka per/sqft which is shocking. In Korail slum almost 2000 people live in 30 rooms. Also, they are bound to share common utilities with 20 other strangers! Privacy concerns and fire hazards are very common here.

Rent of a very small room of 80 sqft is 1500-3500 taka per month in Korail slum, in Mirpur slum a tiny room of 100 sqft is 3000-4000 taka per month. This amount of money as rent becomes a huge burden on the lower income group. Mostly there is lack of community support in slum condition which makes life more difficult.

ছবি: ব্যবহারকারি গোষ্ঠী

ছবি: ব্যবহারকারি গোষ্ঠী

Existing cramped living examples in similar context: 

Similar situations like Geneva Camp in Mohammadpur, Dharavi and chawls in Mumbai India are perfect examples to understand their economic flow and community fully. In Geneva camp, most of their economy generates from the shops adjacent to their buildings. Woman-man both participates in such businesses and earn their regular livelihood from there. Potter, cook, tailor, butcher, retailer etc. is the profession of this community. Entrepreneurship is commonly seen in this context with creates a unique character for the economic area. In re-development considerations, dwellers want bigger room sizes but want to remain in the similar set up that can provide earrings from their nearby economic belt. Much similar income generation pattern is seen in Dharavi, where they use the tiniest place that they have in the slum, sometimes it is inside the house, in verandas, corridors also even in the smallest court inside their house, they use it as a production space of multiple goods that is later on sold to the nearby shops sometimes inside the slum. To look at chawls in Mumbai, Chawls were built near the workspaces of the dwellers to its easier and cheaper to get there. The central courtyard, corridors also worked as production spaces for women entrepreneurs and also as a active community hub. To summarize, workplace near houses has been a way of life for this community and it supports a strong economic chain for the upcoming generation.

ছবি: কেস স্টাডি

User group and their livelihood:

According to Bangladesh Labor Law, the average monthly salary of lower income group is about 8000 to 15000 taka per month. Within this income range they have to pay rents, utility bills, pay food, clothing and other means of life. This is undoubtedly quite inhumane amount of money to maintain a below average lifestyle in city like Dhaka. In most cases the users are rickshaw puller, labor, retailer, fire service, security guard, driver, cook, electrician and more. A big portion of this income goes behind house rents per month. Very little money is left to pay for the other major things so they have to heavily compromise on very important aspects of living like food, education etc.

Affordable Housing:

Affordable housing options can improve the living conditions of slum dwellers. In current days, affordable housing schemes are being practiced in similar context to be able to provide houses with lesser rent so the users can provide for other important aspects of life properly.

ছবি: সাশ্রয়ী আবাসন

ছবি: বিদ্যমান সাশ্রয়ী আবাসন

Concept:

The concept of this project has developed through study of the lifestyle of lower income group in our context.

This particular under privileged income group has somehow found their particular way of living for a long time from the time of migration. The main focus was not to change their habituated way of living but to enhance it to improve their lifestyle even more.

It will be unfair to provide them with conditions and lifestyles that they are not used to live in. The transition should be natural and easier from slum to urban housing otherwise the whole idea of improving their lifestyle will fail. The whole point of designing this housing from the beginning was to make it sustainable, create chances and opportunities for the particular underprivileged income so they become independent to lead a better life later on.

ছবি: ধারণাগত অংকন

ছবি: ধারণাগত অংকন

Space Quality:

Spaces that have multiple use is more suitable for the user group. This makes the space more affordable and sustainable. For example, living room in a household has multiple use to it, can be used as a production space, for sleeping purpose and as an extended part of the kitchen.

Varanda can be used for extra storage and kitchen gardening. Corridors not only serve as a circulation it can be a safe place for women to connect and children to play.

Outdoor spaces like open plaza, playground, adjacent streets, nearby waterboy and courtyards hold multiple uses in them. Streets can be used as economic belt, waterboys do not have to be just for recreational purpose it can be useful for the community, open plaza, courtyard, playground can house weekly fairs, kacha bazar which will connect the community and become a central hub for connection.

Useful Multipurpose Spaces for the particular Income group:

The concept of in-house production and selling them to nearby economic zones has been practiced for a long time to increase sustainability. I wanted to incorporate similar set up in my housing design. The ground floor and roof are two most active spots in a housing. The roof could be a segregated space for productivity for this income group rather just being a recreational space. Same goes for the ground floor. The ground floor can house shops as a part of selling space for the produced goods. Specially women entrepreneurs will get a chance to contribute in the economy effectively by starting up small scale businesses like clothe sewing, catering, handcrafting goods and what not.

ছবি: স্থানিক অভিজ্ঞতা এবং স্থানের বহুমুখী ব্যবহার

Programs:

Besides housing facilities other well facilitated program are incorporated in the design. These programs should serve the community properly in every form for it to be well sustainable. Adjacent shops, community clinic, mosque, training center, community center are included in the housing. Here, the centralized training center has multiple use to it. In daytime it is used a primary school for children later on it is used a extended part of community activities like providing women facilitated courses, as library and daycare center.

Site Information:

This is a proposed site by RAJUK (Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha) for residential settlement of urban poor. The location is in Uttara, Sector 17J, Dhaka. The site area is 10.92 acre adjacent to the boundary of Uttara 3rd Phase design.

The main reason for the site selection was to merge the boundary condition of planned and unplanned context for future consideration. This was a flood prone area even 20 years ago. The site outline is irregular and surrounded by small scale waterbodies. The largest facade of the site is west facing and have two main roads adjacent to the site. The challenges yet advantages of this site where it is just in the middle of Uttara Central MRT station and the International Airport which played a part in deciding the scale and density of the project that matches the surroundings.

ছবি: ল্যান্ডইউস ম্যাপ

ছবি: সড়ক সংযোগ, আগে এবং পরে

ছবি: সূর্যের পথ এবং সাইট অক্ষচিত্র

Zoning:

Zoning decisions were taken while keeping 3 things in mind.

Public and private orientation: 

The housing part of the design has been considered private zone. Commercial and social structures are more public. The private zone is divided, at the same time connected by a public plaza which houses other community functions like school complex, mosque, clinic and a playground. 

ছবি: জোনিং

Adjacent connecting road:

The largest facade of the project is west oriented, also there is a linear 60 ft road connected to the site on the west. Took it as an opportunity to create a commercial belt   with the connecting road for income generation purposes. Above the commercial belt there is bachelor cluster as most bachelor will stay outdoors in daytime.

Site outline and surrounding waterbodies:

There site outline is irregular. There are 2 water bodies just adjacent to the boundary. Connected those water bodies and merged it towards the site to create a large one that would be more useful and at the same time create a buffer with the other side.

ছবি: মাস্টারপ্ল্যান

Unit Typology

There are three types of units in this project. Two types of units for family cluster, one type is for bachelor cluster. Unit sizes are according to DAP (Detailed Area Plan) and from case studies of user's preference of similar context. Bachelor unit is the smallest 230 sqft, family unit with shared utilities is 300 sqft and family unit with private utilities is 450 sqft in size.

According to DAP, Density is 250 person per/acre.

FAR= 4.75 acre, Maximum FAR [for block-based development] =5.19, Total Area = 10.92 acre

Maximum Built Area [TBA]= 2,260,764 sqft

According to BNBC 2008, MGC =50%

ছবি: ইউনিট টাইপোলজি

ছবি: ইউনিট ডিটেইল

ছবি: ইউনিট টাইপোলজি

ছবি: ক্লাস্টার গঠন

Cluster plan:

There are four types of cluster in this whole project. These clusters are made of with the combination of two type units. There is a central courtyard with each of these clusters surrounded by walkways.

ছবি: ছেদচিত্র

Jury comments:

Architect Zareen Habiba Islam

Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, UAP.

∆ This project shows sensitivity towards the users. The steps in design process communicates clearly. Overall, the presentation reflects how the user are going to live there in real context. Also, the spaces for production and selling are quite good.

Architect Naushad Ehsanul Huq

Assistant Professor, Department of architecture, UAP.

∆ In this project proper ventilation is ensured before anything else which a positive sign. Units are solved in a way that is quite appropriate for the type of users. The placement of courtyards in between clusters in a good decision.

Architect Tasleem Shakur

External Juror, Editor in Chief, Global Built Environment review

∆ The scale of the project is humble and quite appreciate for the users. Affordability still remains a question but good effort in achieving that. This is a brave attempt to select such sensitive, large-scale project as thesis topic, it is well handled.

Architect Nishat Tasmin Oyshee

Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, UAP.

∆ This project is detail oriented; utilities and other housing facilities are solved according to the needs of the user. Ground connectivity is also good.