Midrise Architecture in Dhaka Bangladesh

[Bilal9]

BRAC Center for Development Management, Rajendrapur, Bangladesh (BRAC is the world's largest NGO - formed in Bangladesh in the 1970's). The CDM campus was built in the mid to late nineties.

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DESIGNTEX

LOCATION: KURIL, DHAKA

ARCHITECT: BINYASH

OWNER: DESIGNTEX SWEATERS LTD

USE: OFFICE, BANK

LAND: 10.88 KATHA/ 7833.6 SFT

HEIGHT: 105 FEET

BASEMENT: 3 NOS

TOTAL BUILT AREA: 50000 SFT APPROX.

DESIGN COMPLETED: 2011

RAJUK APPROVAL: 2011

CONSTRUCTION STARTED: 2012

MATERIAL: GLASS, CONCRETE, STEEL, ALUMINIUM

VENTILATED FACADE: EQUITONE



With the start of the Kuril-Banani flyover just a few yards away, this site is a prime location and demanded an iconic massing – ‘simple, yet sculptural’ was our approach. The unusual shape of the site posed a challenge in maximizing the utilization of space. DKT achieves a striking balance between iconic form and successful blending of relationship to the neighborhood.

Priority was to invite daylight from the north and north-east to eliminate the need for shading device. The stairs and the terraces on the roadside will compliment the flyover and will act as a much needed ‘break area’. The defined approach to the entrance and pleasing setback from the road proves to be very inviting. The sculptural stair and terrace on the roadside will attract the attention of the rushing urban passengers using the flyover.

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NH TOWER

LOCATION: BANANI C/A, DHAKA

ARCHITECT: BINYASH

OWNER: MR. RAFIGUE SHAJJAD

USE: OFFICE, BANK

LAND: 5.7 KATHA

HEIGHT: 157 FEET

BASEMENT: 03

TOTAL BUILT AREA: 2070.42 SQM

CONSTRUCTION STARTED: 2014

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE: 2016

MATERIAL USED: CONCRETE, STEEL, GLASS, ALUMINIUM

TOTAL COST: UNDISCLOSED



NH Boutique tower is a 14 storied commercial building on a very small piece of land in the commercial hub of Banani. The site is magnificently situated having roads on North, West and South side.

The skyline of Banani is sculpted with many tall buildings. Though this building is achieving some height the footprint being small has a great challenge to be identified as a new member of the skyline. A very simple and linear rectangular shape has been developed to achieve a monolithic view. So proper glass box having exposure on three sides will allow ample of light into the office spaces. Sun louvers are designed along the west side to provide shading. With a pattern of colour glass the building will be modern yet iconic.

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DESIGNTEX CORPORATE OFFICE

LOCATION: UTTARA, DHAKA.

ARCHITECT: BINYASH

OWNER: DESIGNTEX GROUP

USE: COMMERCIAL

LAND: 323.19 SQM

HEIGHT: 34.138M/ B1 + G + 10

BASEMENT: 01

TOTAL BUILT AREA: 1835.18 SQM

DESIGN COMPLETED: 2011

MATERIAL USED: CONCRETE, BRICK, GLASS



A good feature about this project is that the plot orientation offers maximum exposure towards the north and south. The west has been blocked by arranging the circulation and service facilities accordingly. A defined functional zoning and neat planning has enabled adequate natural lighting in the circulation areas as well as the office space areas. Extended slabs and use of louvers aid in shading from the direct rays of the sun.

The effective floor space allows for a free flowing open layout for office functions and has exposure on three sides, both of which are vital in commercial space design. The top three floors, accommodated for the senior staff, guests and dining area, enjoy terraces and green spaces. A combination of glass and fair-faced concrete, as opposed to plaster and paint, gives the building a light, yet distinctive appearance with scaling relatively proportional to humans.

 

[Bilal9]

Shanta Properties inaugurated their new mid-rise 'Glass House' to coincide with 55 years anniversary of the neighborhood - Gulshan. My stomping grounds - and 'hood....

All images copyright Meer Sadi

 

[Bilal9]

Random midtown shots

Gulshan-1 skyline

Dhanmondi Lake (images courtesy Jason Kazi)

Dhaka Bank Tower, Kakrail (note the vertical louvres/shades to tame sunlight)

 

[Bilal9]

Couple of recent residential projects in Dhanmandi & Baridhara respectively....

New Vision Eco City - large project west of Dhaka .......

 

[Bilal9]

 

[Bilal9]

New residential project - REGAL by Shanta Holdings...

Unnamed Project by Shanta Holdings LTD at Bailey Road.

 

[Bilal9]

Bangladeshi mosque architect smashes glass ceiling

Marina Tabassum at her Dhanmondi office. Star file photo

AFP, Dhaka

As one of the only female architects in a country where women rarely even enter mosques, Marina Tabassum was an unconventional choice to design Bangladesh's new Baitur Rouf Mosque, which has just won a prestigious international prize.

But there is little of the conventional about the 45-year-old Tabassum or her design, which eschews traditional minarets and domes in favour of a single-storey terracotta brick structure that is suffused with light and remains cool even in the scorching summer months.

Like most women in deeply conservative Bangladesh, Tabassum had barely set foot in a mosque when she was commissioned to design the building in 2005 after her grandmother donated a piece of land.

Few of Bangladesh's mosques have dedicated sections for female worshippers, and most women pray at home.

But Tabassum visited over 100 before setting pen to paper for the Baitur Rouf Mosque in north Dhaka, focusing on creating a haven of peace in a poor neighbourhood of one of the world's most congested cities.

"We may not have a tradition of women going into mosques to pray in the Indian subcontinent, but I have experienced some really beautiful spiritual spaces. That has always been a great inspiration to me," she told AFP in a recent interview.

"The whole idea of spirituality as an element in design has always been something very intriguing and I like working with spiritual spaces."

The 45-year-old, who emerged as one of Bangladesh's top architects after designing Dhaka's Museum of Independence, says her sex has not constrained her career.

READ ALSO: Marina Tabassum: An architect in search of roots

"I think of myself as a professional. This whole notion of me being a woman really does not exist in my mind. It just does not exist," she said.

'Natural air conditioning'

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is handed out every three years and rewards excellence in architecture serving Muslim communities. This year the $1 million prize was shared between six projects around the world.

The jury said the Dhaka mosque "challenges the status quo", praising its "robust simplicity that allows for deep reflection and contemplation in prayer".

Officially secular but mainly Muslim Bangladesh has a rich history of mosque building, dating back to the Turkish invasion of the 13th century.

The earliest combined their own designs with elements found in local traditions, such as the use of brick and small domes that span the roof, creating a unique style.

Tabassum said she tried to fuse those "glorious lost traditions" of mosque design with contemporary architectural practices.

Since it was completed in 2012, the Baitur Rouf Mosque has attracted visitors from around the country -- to the obvious delight of the imam, Deen Islam.

"Unlike other mosques in the country, it does not have a minaret, or a dome, or a platform to deliver Friday prayers. Yet to these visitors it is one of the most beautiful mosques of the country," the 38-year-old imam told AFP on a recent visit.

"The mild light that enters the mosque is very soothing. Even during a hot summer day, the temperature inside remains mild. You feel like you're in natural air conditioning."

Dozens of tiny windows in the roof and walls create a soft light that changes through the day as the sun passes over the building, while the traditional terracotta bricks keep the interior cool.

Tabassum also teaches architecture students and says she is highly selective about the projects she takes on, and every one must have some social value.

"We are a very young nation and an architect's responsibility goes beyond just designing beautiful buildings," she said.

"We can design buildings like the ones designed by Frank Gehry. But I would question whether that would be the right thing to do in a country like Bangladesh, whose economy is still not developed.

"In the Bangladesh context, that would be an ugly thing to do."

 

[Bilal9]

 

[Bilal9]

Borak Mehnur, accepting leases...

Simpletree Anarkali, inaugurated on November 11th at Gulshan Avenue

First LEED gold-certified bldg in Dhaka, 14 stories with 3 basements

 

[Bilal9]

Roads and Highways Department Head Office planning render, Hatirjheel, midtown Dhaka

Render of future Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation Building, Karwan Bazaar

Render of Robin Tower, Paltan
11 storied company head office building

 

[~Phoenix~]

Random midtown shots

Gulshan-1 skyline

More?

BTW,those pictures were most probably taken by drones.Can you tell me about drone laws in Bangladesh?

 

[Bilal9]

More?

BTW,those pictures were most probably taken by drones.Can you tell me about drone laws in Bangladesh?

I don't think drone laws have been drafted yet for photo drones of a certain size (weight) in Bangladesh. Larger drones are probably covered by defense regulations concerning aircraft and unauthorized radio control devices etc. Maybe someone more familiar with defense establishment knows more than I do.

The US passed drone laws only a few months ago this year.

 

[~Phoenix~]

I don't think drone laws have been drafted yet for photo drones of a certain size (weight) in Bangladesh. Larger drones are probably covered by defense regulations concerning aircraft and unauthorized radio control devices etc. Maybe someone more familiar with defense establishment knows more than I do.

The US passed drone laws only a few months ago this year.

Oh,thanks for the info.

 

[Arthur]

I don't think drone laws have been drafted yet for photo drones of a certain size (weight) in Bangladesh. Larger drones are probably covered by defense regulations concerning aircraft and unauthorized radio control devices etc. Maybe someone more familiar with defense establishment knows more than I do.

The US passed drone laws only a few months ago this year.

AFAIK Civil aviation athourity recently proposed a law on imports & flying of drones & any kind of RC plane. Most probably still in the cabinet for authorisation.

 

[Bilal9]

Bay's Edgewater, Gulshan-2