From the Architect :

This very project intended to be the place to house the family in greater sense, amidst the vast landscape of the Jute Mill (client-owned) premise. THREE GENERATIONS OF AN EXTENDED FAMILY were to be housed here, to be together and to make this building a home truly. The 5 brothers, one of whom is the client, would come here with their families and the parents, and friends sometimes. It was a challenge to make it a place TO CREATE MEMORIES for all these people who would come here to get rid of urban life’s hustle and bustle in a very remote and serene setting.

LOCAL BUILDING TECHNIQUES are the key to the construction of this building. Also only LOCAL MASONS were appointed to complete the job. They had been trained by the architects and engineers to support the whole construction. KNOWLEDGE SHARING with the masons helped to take proper decision and adopt the appropriate construction techniques. Some decisions were made through several TRIALS AND ERRORS like string/cable railing of the stair, offset cut switch boxes in concrete walls etc.

The context falls within the tropic. Key features are BURNING EQUATORIAL SUN and BEATING RAIN. But the tropic covers around 40 percent of the total surface area of the Earth and thus covers around 40 percent, if not more, of the total architecture all over the world. But the characteristics of these buildings vary, as the MICRO-CLIMATE ranges in a huge variety. In this particular case, the context lies in a WARM-HUMID zone. The function of the building here is to modify the ENVIRONMENT. We expect the buildings to keep us dry when it rains, keep warm when cold and to cool us when hot.

Here the architecture will play ALL THESENSES_ the smell of earth after rain, the sound of birds and the wind in the trees, the texture of the earth and concrete, the transparency of the glass, even the taste of the monsoon rain. The color of the brown (wood) is also present here and there in subtle amount. The grey, the brown and the black all the neutral colors of construction matches and also complements the color of greenery and the color of seasons.

ROUGH WOODEN TEXTURED CONCRETE is selected as the primary material for its expected positive ageing characteristic. It blends with the earth as well as complements with the green surroundings. The sun plays over the rough texture whole day and creates lively exterior and interior spaces. Low maintenance is also a factor for choosing the material. Singularity is expected to be achieved by the use of concrete as floor, as walls and finally roof.

Locally available MAHOGONY wood has been used for the whole project. It has been selected for its availability and striking natural warm color as a complementary insertion in the grey concrete ambiance. Also, factory-used packing wood has been used to minimize the wastage.

The PARASOL ROOF acts as an insulator for the whole building. The masters who practiced in our country like STANLEY TIGERMAN, CONSTANTINOS DOXIADIS, ROBERT BUI, MUZHARUL ISLAM found the parasol roof to be the most suitable archetype for warm-humid climate. The cooling effect of parasol enhanced by deep and extensive roof gardening.

The grass, creepers and any form of vegetation in the lawn and also in the roof level were chosen and taken from the surrounding ground. Therefore, when you look behind the horizon, you see only thin lines of built structure swimming through the GREEN. The ground has been merged and lifted in such a way that it feels like a camouflage.

LIGHT is the most vital element used in here that acts as a building material to reveal all the other materials in their true nature. The building is totally RESPONSIVE TOWARDS THE SEASONS of Bangladesh. As the season changes the tropical garden changes the mood and its color and the garden pavilion house shines within it. Even the selection of the herbs, shrubs and trees i.e. overall vegetation, are guided to act as per nature’s change. Thus, GREEN has also been used as an important building material to accentuate the nature and living condition.

The building has been built with prominently one single material in a word. To create an ACHROMATIC MARK in the abundant green was the intention. Therefore, only grey wood-shuttered concrete has been used as primary material in building the house to match the color of earth, the texture of surroundings and to celebrate sunlight & colors of seasons and nature.

Each space is provided with cross ventilation and ample natural light. Even the roof is designed as a garden that again merges with the surrounding greenery. It’s like living in AGARDEN WITHIN A LARGE GARDEN. The wide projected garden roof is one of the most important single elements in the monsoon climate, giving protection from the burning sun and torrential rain.

The entrance is such that it cannot be defined as a conventional entrance. A door or a gateway can be an entrance to welcome people. And, when there is no door or gateway, there is a void in the house that connects outdoor to the indoor and welcomes you to the home away from home. You won’t even know when you are inside, the outdoor leaks into the indoor in such a way through the ENTRANCE VOID.

The entrance void leads towards the CENTRAL COURTYARD that contains a reflection pool with pebbles, local water-plants, sunken steps and fish. Heading straight, the eyesight goes beyond the building premise into the DENSE WOODS behind, uninterrupted. Also, beside the central courtyard, the reflection pool flows into the interior to create the PLACE OF CONTEMPLATION. You can sit here for hours and you won’t know the time passing by. Even if it is an enclosed and controlled environment, you shall always feel the outdoor and the nature in here.

The house acts as a LIFE AQUARIUM for the young learners. Here …

Plants bloom.

Fishes vary by their size and numbers, and they grow.

Kalmilata creeps up towards the glass in the monsoon.

The overhanging plants dive towards the water surface gradually.

The stair, the light holders, the string railing, the doors, the hand-rails of the doors and even the wall-inset switch boards are custom-made. All of the items are CUSTOM-DESIGNED and sometimes they individually took several trial and error phases to reach desired termination. Here, the opportunity to experiment was availed and more like a PRODUCT-DESIGNER ATTITUDE had been adopted.

The house took time. It took time to be designed and to be constructed and to accommodate the users and their spaces and their time. It took time to be a piece of art, to be a symbol of fine indigenous craftsmanship in course of using the materials and the force of landscapes. And, it is still taking time. It is taking time to grow, and someday it will grow to be the PLACE TO CREATE MEMORIES.

A home, can it be built without emotions? Can it be built without memories? Can it be woven? And can it be built without nature?

As we mentioned before, the intention was to REINSTATE THE LOST INHERITANCE and also, to meet the philosophical and psychological need of the urban people.

In the centre there is a courtyard which is accessible from both the main approach and the back garden. It is an AMBIGUOUS PLACE where all the major spaces and levels of the home meet and where light penetrates from different angles all the day and even during the full moon which enliven the major interior spaces. The water container containing greeneries, stones, water, fishes symbolizes the PRESENCE OF LIFE in the whole house. The CHANGING MOOD of the interior spaces was imagined as one of the prior concern of the house.

Nowadays cities occupy the centre ground and radiate their grid-like surrounding and their speed, the country means a move towards another type of achieving environment. A desire for isolation from the hassle of everyday life is there to start a dual journey. Proximity is desired to more simple and fundamental things and gradual detachments from urban networks of relationships and obligations.

The main constraint was to find SKILLED LABOUR and CHOSEN MATERIAL in the locality. But, to attain sustainability, indigenous material and labour were used with utmost care. Local building techniques are the key to the construction of this building. Also local masons were appointed to complete the job. They had been trained by the architects and engineers to support the whole construction. KNOWLEDGE SHARING with the masons helped to take proper decision and adopt the appropriate construction techniques. Some decisions were made through several trials and errors like string/cable railing of the stair, offset cut switch boxes in concrete walls etc.

Villa Sonargaon project is located at Mongolergaon village, Sonargaon thana, Narayanganj. The site is surrounded by natural vegetation and waterbodies. Considering the serene views of the surrounding the concept evolves following a conscious approach of design to create a house that  faces the nature; to blend with the nature and bring the green inside. The house brings the green inside through transparent large glass panels and thus offers a sensational visual experience of ever-changing seasonal setting from the interior living spaces. Open terraces with sitting facilities, greens and waterbodies at various levels of the mass are created on purpose. Terraces provide maximum and direct view to the surroundings.

The internal arrangement is articulated to separate the functions not by walls but floor levels: ground floor as service, upper floors as served areas. Villa functions are splitted into 2 separate areas: one is the bedrooms- for more quiet & relaxing purpose-  are placed on the southern part of upper block for more privacy; the other one is the family space- more functional & multipurpose in uses- is facing the north . These family spaces are connected to the landscape with outdoor terraces.Open terraces are arranged in the northern part to ensure diffuse lighting and proper shading from the built mass.The family spaces are given major importance. A central double height space for living and family living, serves as a core of the house. The dinning, family living, gaming,circulation areas and roof terraces provide the best experiences of the surroundings.

Adequate perforations are made to the building mass to ensure a good bending of indoor- outdoor. The floor to ceiling height windows invite ample natural lights, good air circulations and maximize views. Each bedroom ensures natural ventilation from the south. The cantilevered external structure is composed of a cube volume and perforated metal envelope, inviting the surroundings inside while creating a frame for the outdoor scenic beauty. To minimize the heat gain from the sun, vertical circulation is arranged in the west. Sustainable features like solar panels and water purification systems are incorporated here. A unified structural system of post slab and share walls is applied in the project. Building materials like cladding brick, rustic tiles, metal stairs, aluminum window frame and metal louvers are used.