Salient Features of the Project

Name & Location : ARCADIA PROJECT, KERANIGANJ,DHAKA, BANGLADESH

Cost of Project : (US$) 47,000/00  Built-up area: 330 SQ.METER

Description of Project: 

This is a multipurpose facility for social welfare that includes kindergarten, skill development training and primary health care. The facility is run by a trust and was operating from a rented premise prior to the construction of the structure in their own land in current location. The land is located on the bank of a river and is a typical floodplain of Bangladesh that gets inundated in monsoon. The facility is designed as an amphibious structure that floats in water during wet season and sits on ground during dry season. The facility has four identical rooms with one designated for office and the rest three to function as class, training and meeting rooms. 

Materials of Construction Details:

The sub-structure is constructed with bamboo, used steel drums, and rope resting on leveled ground with brick flat soling and used automobile tires. Super-structure is constructed with bamboo, ropes and tarpaulin. The curvilinear bamboo-tarpaulin roof is supported by bamboo trusses resting on bamboo posts. The floor of the structure is also constructed with bamboo. The bamboo used in the construction were procured from nearby markets and were treated with preservative chemicals. The entire structure was constructed with labor available in the vicinity of the site.

Special Features:

The design objective was to construct the facility without making major changes in the topographical condition of the site for facilitating the flow of water during monsoon and the preservation of the particular condition of the floodplain. The site area was also small to allow the raising of the site to flood free level with proper slope protection. The other option was to construct the facility on stilts but accessibility during dry season and also cost was a limitation. The amphibious structure fulfills this objective. The technology adopted for construction is simple and the structure could be constructed with locally available skills. Also the use of bamboo as the major material promotes its use as a sustainable material for construction.