West Tejturi Bazar, Tejgaon, Dhaka/ 2018

Location: West Tejturi Bazar, Tejgaon, Dhaka.
Build Area: 8,00,000 sft
Year Designed: 2018
Lead Architect: Ar. Shafique Rahman (MIAB)

Concept:
The site is located within a very high-density urban context. The approach road is only 5.5m in its existing condition containing large-scale high-rise buildings throughout the street, which turns the surrounding environment into an inhuman urban mayhem for human. Emplacing another large multi-functional building in this existing environment is challenging, the question arises whether to achieve more commercial feedback or to achieve minimum and create at least a livable environment for human.

After synthesis of the urban foot print, accessibility and complex traffic system, we came up with an idea to achieve minimum commercial outcome, rather creating a relief for human as a contribution to the messy vitality of this densely populated cityscape.

“Emptiness” is an emotional state of human being living within this city. Within this inhuman concrete jungle our intention was to achieve emptiness. The form has been designed to accumulate multiple void spaces interconnected internally and with the outdoor open space in different layers to create emptiness.

The function of the building is designed in a way that creates opportunity to receive maximum lighting and cross ventilation in different layers. The floor plates are partly air conditioned and public spaces, lobby area is mostly open and shaded and naturally ventilated. The cooling load has been substantially decreased by its careful fenestration. Mutual shadow is crusted by the adjacent Bashundhara City building. We take the advantage of mutual shadow casting and in the other parts of the building, glass facades are resisted inside and shaded with building fenestration. Office spaces are using mechanical cooling, however, designed to allow natural ventilation when it is required. Depth and shading in its fenestration cut of glare to the maximum, on the other hand allows ample of daylight to run office spaces without artificial lighting in the daytime. In addition, scope of solar energy generation and the recycling system installed for the efficient use of storable rainwater added to the sustainability index of the project.