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Project Title: Urban Tune-Up: Architectural Packages for Block-Based Rooftop Spaces as Containers of Public Life Student Name: Ridwan Noor University: Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Academic Year: 2024 Site Location: Karwan Bazar-Farmgate and its adjacent areas, Dhaka, Bangladesh Project Supervisor’s Names: Dr. Khandaker Shabbir Ahmed , Maherul Kader Prince Head of the Department Name: Dr. S M Najmul Imam Publication received for the project: 1.Tamayouz Excellence Award 2024:Ranked in tp 50 international graduation projects. 2.Published on ArchiDiaries |
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| Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka offers almost no scope for creating public life. The city is lifeless with no spaces for play, interaction, or green areas within its urban core. Middle and lower-income residents find social life nearly invisible. Public spaces and open areas are practically missing at the city floor level in Dhaka’s dense urban fabric. |
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During Dhaka’s scattered development, many unseen, leftover spaces have emerged, which lack interaction with city life, but hold untapped potential. In this highly saturated city, rooftops represent the largest urban gap. The idea is to create an interconnected network of rooftops, activated by architectural packages that transform these barren rooftops into vibrant, functional areas. This new elevated layer will bring back social interaction, provide community facilities, and reintroduce green spaces into the urban environment. Typically, parks serve as an escape from the city. Here, however, parks will be an embedded part of the city’s urban infrastructure at an elevated dimension. |
This is not just an architectural project, it is a dream; a dream of a vibrant Dhaka. Where the rooftops will be the beginning of a new day. People will recognize Dhaka in a new way. A city that will bring together people of all classes again. |
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Context and Site The site includes Karwan Bazar-Farmgate and its adjacent areas in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is a densely populated and built-up area, which makes it ideal for testing the proposed concept. The area will face a massive transformation because of the new Metro Stations, putting it at the center of Transit-Oriented Development. Situated between the Farmgate and Karwan-Bazar Metro stations, the site is within the TOD radius and ideal for block development. |
Block-based development is a viable strategy, as outlined in the government-issued Detailed Area Plan (2022-2035). So, mixed-use redevelopments will take place along the Metro Line, replacing the small 2-4-6 story buildings built over the network of small plots. |
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Over the last 30 years, Dhaka has lost 66% of its green space, worsening the urban heat island effect. 90% of the city faces the risk of intense heat waves. The total lack of open spaces and resting spots has created a claustrophobic environment, so the only places for social interactions have become indoor spaces like restaurants, which can't provide the mental benefits like parks and public spaces. The proposed rooftop network could address Dhaka’s urban challenges, such as the urban heat island effect and waterlogging while adding social and economic value. This elevated layer proposes a new economic model in the city, morphing unused rooftop spaces into valuable public spaces. |
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Limitations: Mechanical jungles, Empty dead spaces, Unreachable increased urban heat island effect increased energy consumption (mechanical cooling system) reduced outdoor thermal comfort to address these issues, cities need to implement green roof in large scale |
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Solutions: Elevated gardens, Public spaces, Accessible Green roof temperatures can be 30-40 F lower than those of conventional roofs and can reduce city-wide ambient temperatures by up to 5 F. Vegetation always lowers surface and air temperature by providing shade, as well as evapotranspiration (evaporative cooling). Green roofs can be installed as a thin layer (around 5 cm) of groundcover up to a thick layer (around 1 m) of intensive vegetation and trees, depending on factors like soil type, drainage and plant species. In tropical climate like bangladesh, green roofs could be useful due to intense vertical solar radiation over planar surfaces such as roofs and vegetation's high growth in humid tropics. |
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Design Process The design strategy consists of three components. These include a connected rooftop layer for both plot and block developments, architectural packages to tune up rooftops, and an elevated walkway that adds a new dimension to car-centric Dhaka. These elements create an integrated urban system. |
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The Urban System |
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Combining data from local practices (Detailed Area Plan 2022, Dhaka) with international urban design approaches, the future development of the site is projected. The master plan for block development, derived from unified plots and the surrounding street network, uses parametrically generated block variations to select the most logical block structure. Hence, the potential roof layer is generated to tune up with packages of architecture.
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In Dhaka’s dense urban environment, spaces for interaction and greenery are nonexistent, with only brick and concrete buildings and no open spaces. The architectural packages will grow over these fixed, permanent buildings, turning barren rooftops into a network of public spaces. These packages, consisting of primary folly and roof modules, can accept, adapt and transform with the ever-changing urban landscape. The formations are shaped by the specific roof area and have no designated programs, allowing for flexible uses such as play areas, community events, urban farming, food kiosks, etc. |
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Characteristics of Follies |
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The proposed walkway between two metro stations acts as a linear vehicle for public life. Utilizing the urban gap created by the 20-22 meter high metro piers, it runs through the space effectively. It streamlines pedestrian movement, interacts with new mixed-use block developments, and eases urban rush from the stations. The main road follows a linear logic due to its long-distance nature, whereas the walkway originates from local logic, resulting in a fluid structure that reflects the surrounding organic urban fabric. |
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Future block-based scenario. This master plan focuses on two primary zones for perimeter block development. In these blocks, rooftops function as privately owned public spaces (POP). Final Outcome The publicly accessible buildings are assigned into three land use patterns: residential, commercial, and mixed-use. These are divided in two phases: existing assessment (plot-based) and future projection (block-based). Urban tune-up is explored in both existing and future scenarios to evaluate how architectural packages will be morphed into different types of rooftops. |
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Plot-Based Existing Assessment: In existing residential buildings, rooftop usage varies based on the building owners. This creates a contrast between private and public spaces, with some rooftops open to all and others restricted to owners. Similarly, the commercial buildings could offer public rooftops while maintaining private realm, limited to building users. |
Meso Scale Design Intervention : Block Based Scenarios (Future Projection) Block-Based Future Projection: This approach shows a future-centric network of rooftop architecture where architectural packages will be more suited to this unified roofscape. The elevated walkway from MRT station leads to public rooftops. Deeper into neighbourhood, rooftop gradually transition to private spaces for building owners. It makes a dynamic layering of urban spaces, creating both community engagement and individual privacy. |
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ফোকাসড এরিয়া প্ল্যান (দৃশ্যপট ০১) |
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By activating rooftop architecture, Dhaka can become more future-ready. The lower level will remain a typical heavy, permanent buildings, while the upper level will be a temporal layer in constant motion. The follies are timeless and adaptable. So, the rooftops and the skyline can change and evolve according to the community’s needs. The city core will be architecturally elastic enough to absorb new ideas. |
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Jury Comments: Dr. Khandaker Shabbir Ahmed (Professor, Department of Architecture, BUET) The most interesting aspect of this project is that, at first glance, the outcome might seem unsuitable for implementation in a so-called "traditional" country. However, if you carefully observe from the beginning, you’ll notice that the foundation of the project is built by harmonizing local guidelines, rules, and regulations with international practices. And as a studio project, it has taken this idea to its ultimate level of refinement. Therefore, this can be considered a successful concept. As architects, our responsibility is to ensure these kinds of ideas reach the policy level. Dr. Zebun Nasreen Ahmed (Professor, Department of Architecture, BUET) The idea of rethinking rooftops has been explored in fragments in many places. However, this project demonstrates how to start thinking at an urban scale and work down to the micro-level to establish a coherent approach. It shows how some of Dhaka's most persistent problems could potentially be addressed if everyone collectively starts to see rooftops in a new way. |
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The Architectural Follies are designed to be Timeless and Adaptable |
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An Elastic City with a Skyline that Adapts and Evolves to Meet the Community’s Needs |
| Contributor: Ar. Faiza Fairooz |
February 8, 2025
One of the finest architectural concept that has been explored to make any city accessible for everyone. Cities like Dhaka, need more of such ideas where the existing buildings can be upcycled. As a citizen of Dhaka, I believe implementing this project in the policy making will not only bring more organised architectural structures, but will also give us access to better social life and will let us connect with each other in a more healthy manner.
February 8, 2025
Great thinking...Very hard to be implemented at current context, but pilot projects like this might start a new way of thinking of urban rooftops.
