Project Location: Khulna

Student’s Name: Quazi Fahim Shahriar

Project Year: 2023

Client: Khulna Development Authority (KDA)

Site Area: 8.37 Acre

Guide Teacher’s Name: Ziaul Islam and Pronoy Chowdhury

Studio Supervisor: Dr. Nabanita Islam

Head of Department Name: Dr. Nabanita Islam

University: University of Asia Pacific

Khulna New Market site is facing a decline in engagement and economic activity. KDA plans to replace this traditional market with large malls, posing a potential threat to its unique retail culture, harming small retailers, and diminishing the city's historical and cultural value. Contrastingly, this thesis proposal attempts to embrace memories associated with the market's history whilst revitalizing it with modern elements to create a place that appeals to everyone.

Image: Project location 1

Image: Project location 2

KDA New Market has a prominent location and connectivity in Khulna city. Within the site there are some segregated autonomous social spaces which the project aims to connect under a single umbrella. The goal is to establish a vibrant, inclusive urban space that weaves social and economic connections while creating an old-new market dynamic.

Image: Concept

Design Considerations and Project Brief:

Image: Design consideration 1

Urban plazas are designed to serve as catchment areas, merging informal retail and social zones with formal market activities. A well-planned network of streets prioritizes pedestrian connectivity around the site, with on-street and off-street parking, including designated basement parking for both motorized and non-motorized vehicles.

Image: Design consideration 2

Image: Design consideration 3

The main agendas of the old market are:

·   Preservation of Fortified Outer Shell: The primary consideration is preserving the historical outer shell of KDA New Market, its color, programs, morphology, façade and rooftop ornamentations. On all sides, central entrances are broadened with double-height openings, and in high-crowd areas, escalators are added. Outer facades are activated with ad-based digital facades or cultural murals.

·   Rethinking of Inner Shell Functions and Spaces: Existing vulnerable urban structures within the inner shell are replaced with new programs, structure, and spatial experiences. Central zone in ground floor combines attractive brand shops, showrooms, and sunken temporary stores. Open-to-sky impermeable grounds are replaced with soft paved material to reduce heat effects.

·   Revival of Inner Shell Rooftop: By rearranging the A/C duct outlets for better ventilation, the rooftop is utilized and made accessible for fairs and leisure activities.

Image: Main agendas of old & new market

The main agendas for the design of the new market extension are:

·   Emphasis on Openness, Transparency, and Lofty Apertures: The existing introvert design of old NM and KB are ignored for a more attractive, open place which enhances indoor-outdoor connectivity. The atmosphere characterized by openness fosters a sense of connectivity, expansiveness, ventilation, and accessibility.

·   Response to Park: The market responds harmoniously to the adjacent green park, ensuring a seamless physical and visual integration with the natural environment. Greeneries and water resources create a cooler micro-climate, welcomes biodiversity and serve as recreational spaces.

·   Central Axial Configuration: The layout incorporates a central axial arrangement, providing a structured spatial orientation of the market extension toward the park.

·   Street-Like Atmosphere: A thorough market street connected to existing market courtyard recreates a traditional shopping culture. The street-like ambiance with permanent kiosks creates a familiar, engaging and walkable environment for visitors, vendors and informal retailers to roam freely.

·   Communal Networking Spaces: Rooftops, platforms, park, colonnaded corridors, courtyards, stairs, seating steps and bridges are spaces for meeting, networking and community engagement.

·   Fluidity and Flexibility: Diverse flexible circulation and adda spaces like grand stair, terraces and bridges and fluid circulation patterns allow for adaptive use of spaces.

Broadly the programs are:

· SHOPPING – Unit Shop, Anchor Shop, Vendor Kiosks, Food Court  

· KACHA BAZAR – Dry Market, Wet Market

Image: Masterplan

Program Zoning:

·   Supportive shops are located on the ground and first floors while exclusive shops are located on higher levels.

·   The topmost floor has a youth hub with a makerspace, cloud kitchen, training, and recording booth.

·   The underprivileged helping store on the ground floor provides second-hand or day-old products, such as rotting vegetables or tainted clothes, for affordable prices to help the community.

·   The revenue generation block comprises exclusive rentable facilities like cinema, indoor-games, resting pods, party spaces, office, hotel, basements, police booth, fire emergency service, bank, parking etc.

The programs are formulated to promote a rich mix of big and small retail shops creating scope for smaller businesses to cater to low-income shoppers. Ample active open spaces are designed for people to relax and recreate within and around the NM and KB.

Image: Basement 2

Image: Basement 1

Image: 1st floor plan

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Image: 4th floor plan

Image: Section 1

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Image: Section 3

Jury Comments

Architect Shoeb Bhuiya: I appreciate Fahim’s position of conserving the old market and preserving its existing memory while carrying out the new market extension.

Architect Prince: The site analysis was so thorough and I appreciate the response to the site surrounding and the fact that the old market memory and outer shell is preserved. I like that he introduced a tall revenue generation tower so the commercial revenue needs are met and the building height is low and spread out unlike typical shopping malls.

Architect N.R. Khan: The project is quite large and complex. In the short time, the student has handled this large project very skillfully. The student chose to preserve the old market’s outer shell in a bold approach. The pedestrian movement is prioritized which is good but the issue of legibility could be enhanced.

Architect Ehsan Khan: I appreciate the student’s detail investigation approach of site analysis, history, and program analysis. The market design is successful in achieving an urban quality and a dynamic civic response. But the abrupt pedestrian and vehicular entries could have been treated differently.

Architect Zareen Habiba Islam: The project is the outcome of an in-depth analysis followed by conceptual idea generation, detailed drawings and phase model formations through a trial-and-error method, which ultimately resulted in a comprehensive presentation.