Context BD• Ashaloy | A village home in changing rural scenes

DESIGN. ARCHITECTURE. CULTURE

Ashaloy | A village home in changing rural scenes

Name:	Riverine Architecture \| Sharif Jahir Hossain
Year:	2013
Location:	Betua village, Tangail, Bangladesh
Client:	Shahjahan Mian, Amrul Hasan & Rasel Hasan

In the context of continuing transformation of rural vicinities into semi-urban areas, rural homes have received renewed attention by the architect community and become a subject of experimentation and innovation. This award-winning project demonstrates how a rural home, situated in a subdivided piece of narrow land, can be recreated into a new form to embrace change. The project won the 'Berger Young Architects Award' in 2015 cycle.

The narrow, linear site is measured 100 ft by 20 ft and characterized by lush vegetation surrounding it. Restricted by the limited budget and site constraints, the goal was to design a basic single-storey house with the linear articulation of domestic spaces based on the degree of privacy. Habitable spaces are arranged along a circulation spine that connects the semi-private and private spaces through an open courtyard. The shifted, segmented, and alternated walls are strategically placed to perform both as structure and as perforated enclosure while creating a strong connection with its surrounding.

Spatially, the house is divided into two parts and separated by a court which contains a kitchen. The front portion comprises the dining cum living space and this living has an outdoor extension which has given privacy from the road by a wall and exposes it to the adjacent green. A small kachari (visitors seating) beside the entry door is facing a small garden. A flight of steps leading towards the roof from dining cum living space is designed to facilitate future extension. The rear part contains two bedrooms with attached toilets and a long linear verandah connecting the bedrooms to the front and the back of the house while protecting the room from the west sun.