Architecture

— This paper presents a relative comparison in properties between polymeric fiber reinforced ferrocement and conventional ferrocement under flexural load. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of polymeric mesh, as a replacement of iron mesh, on properties of ferrocement. A series of ferrocement test specimens were cast, and characterized. Each specimen was prepared with single layer of mesh having 25 mm thickness. Hexagonal and expanded metal mesh, nylon 66 and polypropylene woven mesh were used in different test specimens, and effect of different reinforcement is determined. Assessment was carried out on the basis of compressive and flexural strength. Experimental result shows that polymer reinforcement has no adverse effect on the mechanical properties of the ferrocement specimens.

The Urban center of Bangladesh, Dhaka, being the mega city offers diverse livelihood opportunities. Amalgamation of large amount of population in this city is thus foreseeable. Higher standard for living is completely centralized within Dhaka; it attracts people from all over the country with bright lights of hope, employment opportunities, better living condition, educational and health facilities. Despite this pull factors, natural disaster, environmental degradation, insecure livelihood and housing facilities push people towards the city with opportunities. Though they thrive for an amelioration of their livelihood, they eventually end up engaged in informal sector and reside in informal settlements. This results in uncontrolled increase in informal sectors devoid of basic living standards. However Dhaka cannot offer a support mechanism that allows citizens to avail all the facilities of a megacity. Housing is a vital measure for standard living; it is considered as an all-inclusive system of finance, livelihood, affordability and Infrastructure. In megacities the system becomes more crucial because it faces a dichotomous scenario of formal and informal living. This paper attempts to address housing as an important factor for economic, social and environmental development of this megacity. The emergence of affordable and environment friendly alternate construction technologies and building materials are being considered to ensure housing for the privileged and underprivileged. Regarding impact of urban hazard, sustainable building technologies can play an important role towards resilience. The persisting damage to our environment can be reduced for instance by introducing non-burnt construction elements. The application of these technologies in rural housing as well will mitigate its vulnerability against disaster risks and ensure secured livelihood; consequently the rate of rural-urban migration will be demised. In Dhaka while rapid urbanization, centralization and massive pressure of population prevails, making the megacity safer becomes an agenda that this paper addresses in relation to sustainable construction technology.

This paper reviews the construction process of Ferro cement sandwich panels as non-load bearing units of buildings. The cast in situ construction process on a smaller scale pilot project including materials and the steps of workmanship will be explored in this paper. The sandwich panels consisted of two thin ferrocement layers reinforced with one layer of woven wire mesh. The core was about 56.25 mm thick and made of lightweight expanded polystyrene sheets. Steel wires were used to tie the two layers of iron meshes together. A total of 100sft sandwich panel was constructed. The proposed panels are lighter in weight relative to the conventional brick walls. This kind of lightweight construction process could prove to be a true merit for a developing country like Bangladesh.

The customary building construction trend of Bangladesh usually focuses on the use of burnt clay bricks and Reinforced Cement Concrete; which in large extent prove themselves uneconomic. In the context of rapid urbanization, poverty, dense habitat and mass housing, cost effective, light weight and easy technology is being much looked for. Ferrocement, which is a versatile, lightweight, thin material and involves easy labor, is emerging as an effective building material in the construction industry. This paper illustrates the diversified application of ferrocement in various construction works undertaken by housing and Building Research Institute in Bangladesh. Several projects are demonstrated here with prominence to diverse ferrocement elements serving as both structural-non structural components of a building and serves aesthetic purpose as well. Application of ferrocement in different type of roofs and slabs, partition walls, louvers, poles, pavements and even structural components like columns and beams are depicted in the write up. Aim of the study is to explore the versatility and effectiveness of ferrocement in construction. Thus the paper intends to manifest the potentialities of the rising construction element and its juxtaposition with the conventional ones.

The urban poor have been considered invisible in our planning and mostly in design considerations. In this second decade of 21st century, housing for the urban poor in the third world cities should not only be matter of analysis and planning, rather appropriate and imaginative design solution should come forward calling for implication. Past failure of such projects to serve intended population points that the imitation of regular urban house with smaller space is not the solution. This paper tries to develop an architectural understanding of low income people " s living pattern, their houses and community. Ershadnagar resettlement camp is the site for case study. This 40 years old site has developed a unique incrementally grown slum community on government land. From field survey, planning layout of these houses along with their incremental growth has been analyzed. Layers of community spaces have been identified using Charles Correa " s theory of urban spatial hierarchy. Contextual background of the study has been developed from earlier researches in this field to understand the scope of an architect. The study result finally illustrates the living patterns of households via drawings and description. How the space and function relates in an adaptive nature and thus accommodates incremental growth in such slum condition, sheds light on the living standard of the poor. The uniqueness of spatial use can be adapted to design solution while improving the dehumanized living condition. An architectural approach to shed light on the living of low income people may improve our understanding of contextual design requirement instead of an old and ineffective repetition.

This paper analyzes the context and conservation potential of a historically significant semi-rural settlement while the infiltration of surrounding urban areas threaten to subjugate the natural quality and essence of the area. This settlement named ‘Birulia’ is situated near Ashulia by river Turag which is at the brink of megacity Dhaka – the mighty capital of Bangladesh. The area is historically important due to a number of old buildings bearing high architectural and archeological value. Nearly a century ago, during the regime of Vawal king, local Hindu merchants built these houses and temples along a brick paved road. Biruila was a vivacious business centre and important river port at that time. The remaining old building of that time bears distinct architectural styles of British Colonial Period with a fusion of Mughal Architecture. At present, the area remains overlooked as heritage by Archaeology Department of Bangladesh. Due to lack of proper conservation plans and maintenance, unplanned modification, natural weathering and encroachment by the local homeless people; majority of the heritage buildings now face the threat of losing the unique architectural features. If proper measures are not taken, the built heritage will sink into oblivion. With the development of infrastructure and connectivity of the city, the land price is gradually increasing adding impetus to the deterioration process. Birulia deserves preservation not only as a heritage site but also because of the natural setting of area which turns itself into a picturesque island surrounded by water during the monsoon. The total area possesses high potential to revive its historic and contextual uniqueness

This paper tries to analyze the total area using Matthew Carmona’s Six Dimensions theory (morphological, perceptual, social, visual, functional and temporal) as a tool to understand the historically urban context of Birulia. These dimensions analyze the relation and interplay between public and private places of an area and helps understand a context.

This paper investigates the transformation process of a peri-urban slum –‘Ershadnagar Resettlement Camp’ where forty two years ago; the inner
city’s evicted homeless population was relocated without any proper
proposition. It discusses how the slum has gained the attributes of a ‘place’ through the transformation and adaptation process of ‘place making’ where both the informal struggles of people and formal organizational initiatives are equally valid. This approach tends to highlight facts regarding the socio-cultural complexity of slums rather that statistical data. Dhaka- the capital of Bangladesh and most densely populated city of the world is facing an extreme pressure to accommodate its ever increasing number of slum dwellers. The study area is located at Tongi, a peri-urban location at the north of Dhaka. This almost 100 acre camp was a government initiative to house the evicted illegal slum dwellers as a part of ‘Dhaka Clean’ project in 1974. Since then, with discrete help from government and non government organizations, the camp dwellers have gradually developed themselves into a community. From field survey, interviews of inhabitants and development workers and discretely available secondary data the place making process have been analyzed at both community and household level. While catalyzing factors in the process of ‘place making’ is observed, the lack of tenure has been identified as a negative catalyst.

Dhaka is known as the most densely overpopulated city. More than 1500 people are moving every day to this city searching for livelihood, better education. With the load of population, this city is suffering to provide spaces to live and to breathe. This paper presents initially research result of installing tall buildings that employ green design elements to overcome the land-use problem of Dhaka city and provides a healthy comfortable urban atmosphere in conditions of rapid population growth and limited territories. As urban development builds, there is a requirement for new ideas and ways to deal with urban space arranging through the gigantic presentation of elevated structure development. In short, a vertical city is a whole human living space contained in a huge high rise. It is the one of way back to alive Dhaka city demolishing from overcrowded and environment pollution rather than to crushing forests and marshes to manufacture houses, malls, and plants, they can be set in a vertical pinnacle, serving to safeguard the environment.