Mushtaque, Rezwana, Rumana, Sumbal and Amer Habib

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Name: Amer Abdal Habib
Studio: MS.Arch Thesis
Studio Master: Prof Jason Vigneri-Beane and Prof Thomas Leeser
Year: 2017
University: Pratt Institute, New York

The ‘Vertical Village Habitat’ is a conceptual supposition addressing the issues of urban density and informality. Conceived as a high-rise microcosm of the city, the mega-structure continuously evolves incrementally to accommodate, shelter and sustain. Verticality was the outcome after considering the notions of the informal legitimacy, and the tension of their footing, not only on the ground, but in their connection to the city as a whole.

The notions of informality and the conditions in which people are forced to exist is a testament to human will. What is considered basic human rights, such as access to food, water, adequate shelter, and so forth is a fantasy in the minds of those living well below the poverty line.

The issues facing the world now and imminently in the coming years will greatly revolve around providing for the growing populations globally, and specifically in urban centers. As people flock en masse to the cities, the infrastructure of what can be supported will be stretched ever thin, especially in those of developing nations, already on the brink of ruin. Record says, 130 people move to urban areas every minute; 1.5 million per week; 170 million per year. In 2007, 1 in 6 people lived in informal settlements and it’s predicted to reach 1 in 4, or about 2 billion people, by 2030 and by 2050 the informal population may be as high as 3 billion, approximately 1 in every 3 people. At these rates, this begs the question of the notion of what is informal. When a majority of not just the city, but the world, lives informal, does it then become, of sorts, the new formal?

Bangladesh is set to be amongst the ‘Top 3 Fastest Growing Economies Globally’ through to 2050, and as the economy of the nation prospers, overall propelling the people forward, the socio-economic disparity is somehow widening at an exponential rate and yet, not globally isolated. Similar social boundaries can be seen all around the world, in cities like New Mexico, Nairobi, Johannesburg, etc. This is clearly seen in a visually striking, and unsettling photo series ‘Unequal Scenes’ by Johnny Miller.

Dhaka is a city of over 17 million people, and grows at an hourly rate of an additional 48 people. That’s about 1150 new faces daily. Already an approximate 50-60% of the city’s population live informally, in dilapidated slums, where conditions are terrible, unhygienic and tightly packed. Slum inhabitants continue to live under the threat of eviction, making use of the most basic building materials such as bamboo and corrugated metal sheeting.

The project site is at Korail-the largest slum in the capital Dhaka. The Korail slum covers an area of approximately 150 acres, on encroached government land and houses nearly 200,000 people. It is adjacent to one of the most posh neighborhoods in the city, but located and divided from it by a lake. The stark disparity in its proximity and identity is staggering, and has always led to ponder this closeness. Is it a sort of symbiotic relationship? It’s true, many of the people living in the informal settlements of Korail are employed in the posher parts, but how is that an area, whose land value is so extremely high, and be so close the largest slum in Dhaka? Surprisingly, in a recent study, it was found that the price per square foot in Korail was more expensive than that of the adjacent posh neighborhood of Gulshan even though it lacks the basic civic amenities such as access to clean water, electricity, sanitation, gas, etc.

There are very small roads within Korail, along which are numerous shops and markets. Typically, the housing units can be found on the inner zones, behind these roads. Upon mapping these commercial nodes of interest, contour maps were developed to understand and identify points of high intensity, and the specific site within the slum was chosen accordingly.

Beyond just the site itself, the design called for an intervention that could also give back to the city at large and lend strength to their hopes of legitimacy. People living informally exist within a strange grey zone, ideologically barely touching the ground, apart from the system the city. Temporality becomes a way of life and a tension exists in their footing. For this reason, verticality was considered. Further to that, the design looks to invert the current trend of “greening” up architecture by the superficial planting of trees along the façade, and to instead create a tree, of sorts, with the housing units embedded in its branches.

Housing is an expensive investment, for any demographic, so taking example from Aravena’s concepts of incremental housing, the people of Korail slum will build upward using materials they are familiar with, and will feel comfortable using such as bamboo poles and corrugated metal sheeting.

However, without certain interventions from a higher such authority or investment, questions of verticality bring about questions of structure and added cost. The government often builds water tanks to supply surrounding areas with water. Stations are usually set up at the base the tanks to pump water up, which then disseminate via gravity to specific zones. At the eye of one of the intensity zones, it is proposed that the government would construct a water tower, and thus, around which, the surrounding housing units could then shift upward, hugging and taking support from the structure. Like a temporary scaffolding of bamboo and corrugated metal sheeting, the village would grow upward incrementally.

Informal settlements are like microcosms of the city that surround them, and Dhaka being already one of the densest cities in the world, results in a very vibrant myriad of spaces in Korail. The Vertical Village Habitat would thus respect this characteristic of heterogeneity and combine not just home dwellings, but also shops, schools, mosques, hair salons, tailor shops, and so forth.

Removed from the system, and never quite a part of the city’s economics, the habitat strives to be self-sufficient, not only harvesting rainwater from the water tower’s top surface, but also producing electrical power through solar panels as well as growing their own fruits and vegetables via a system of vertical gardening. The plants will not only provide sustenance, but also give back to the city by reducing the amount of polluting in the air, maybe in hopes of lending some legitimacy to their existence.

Originally Published by Context

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Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia is one of the frontiersmen of unconventional ideas and materials in contemporary architecture. Having made his name with award-winning projects made out of bamboo, as part of a larger movement to re-define a locally appropriate architecture that is distinctly Asian, affordable, durable and environmentally friendly, Vo Trong has established the sense of ‘leading by example’. His practice Vo Trong Nghia Architects is the recipient of several awards which include the World Architecture Festival (2014), ARCASIA Building of the Year (2012) and few others. Vo Trong came to Bangladesh to attend a symposium by Bengal Institute few months ago where architect Amer Habib met him and took the opportunity to have a talk. The interview is published here with courtesy from architect Amer Habib.

What do you think about Dhaka?

Really high density like in Vietnam, and a lot of people in the city. Also it has the same problems, like lack of greenery and overpopulation. With the development of the economy, you will be facing urbanism problems, architecture problems, and also societal problems like mentality illness or inactive children.

What was it like growing up in Vietnam? What are the influences of Vietnam in your architecture?

I was in a small village in the centre of Vietnam with a lot of nature around. I like that life, surrounded by nature, with a lot of greenery, farms, cows, and forests. Then you feel happy. Even though we didn’t have electricity back then, it was more relaxed. In more developed places, people have to work hard, and deal with a lot of stressful things.

How did you decide to become an architect?

I thought, if I become an architect, I will be rich. But I was wrong. To be an architect, you have to love architecture, then work unlimited hours, but the payment is not very big.

Was there anything more than the wanting to become rich?

Now, I find that architecture and an architect can make human beings more connected to nature, like when I was a child.

You have called bamboo the green steel for the 21st century. Could you elaborate on that?

Yes, I think it is. For example, in Bangladesh you have a lot of bamboo. A bamboo structure is light, so it is really good for the soft foundation you have in Bangladesh. You can make restaurants, cafés, and schools with bamboo, I think it’s the best material for Bangladesh, especially for rural areas.

We do have a lot of bamboo, but in Bangladesh, people don’t consider it a long term material.

It depends on the treatment. If you give it good treatment, it can have a long life. For example, if you submerge it into the river three to four months then smoke it to black, then it can be used like timber. It lasts 30 to 50 years, like timber.

How do you smoke the bamboo black?

With the outer cover of the rice, the husk. We burn that, and then use that smoke for the process.

If we want to change people’s minds about bamboo, how can we convince them that it can be cost-effective or beautiful?

You don’t have to convince them too much. You just start to build some small things, and they start to like that very quickly. For example, you have a lot of clients for restaurants or cafes, you just build it with bamboo and later they will like that.

Since you’ve worked with bamboo in Vietnam for a long time, has the price changed because it’s becoming more popular?

No, not like that, but one time they cut down all bamboo forests for rubber plantations, which led to a fall in the number of available bamboo. But now the rubber plantations have been taken down and they have started to plant bamboo again.

I read that your thesis at the University of Tokyo was on passive ventilation. How important is that in your design approach?

That’s the most important thing to deal with in tropical climates. Because we use the shadow system of the trees, and play with the sunlight and air ventilation for cooling, we can create really perfect natural air-conditioning.

In Bangladesh, many clients want mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning. How do you convince your clients in Vietnam to accept passive cooling?

They can turn on the air-conditioning, and can also open the windows for natural ventilation. Once they get used to the natural ventilation, they become more comfortable with it and then never turn on the air-conditioning.

Of the many buildings you have seen around the world, which is your favourite?

I like the Prada building in Tokyo by Herzog De Meuron, and also the library building by Louis Kahn in the US.

Are there are any similarities between his library project and our national parliament?

Yes. That’s what brought me here to Dhaka, to see the Louis  Kahn building.

Of all your projects, which is your favourite?

My team and I spend a lot of energy on each project, so it’s hard to say which one is the best of us. Every one of them is very close to me.

Who funds your low-cost housing project, S1, which cost approximately $4000?

We do it by ourselves. I think this really fits with Bangladesh because of your soft foundation. The S1 house will be really good for low-income people. It’s a really high standard quality and design, but it is also low cost. I think architects usually focus on rich people and tend to forget like 60% of the population. That’s why we wish to offer them good things, good products, but at a low cost. I think the market in Bangladesh is big for that. People can buy the frame for around $1500, and can have the base structure for an entire house without any maintenance for 50 years.

In Aljazeera’s series ‘Rebel Architecture’ ,they showed your work, and in it there was a scene where you present a design for a green housing project. It looked like you were having a very stressful meeting to convince the client.

Luckily its successful now. They sold all 2,550 of the houses within 6 months.

What would you like to see in Bangladesh in terms of architecture?

I think this place is facing the same problem as Vietnam, with a big population in a small area. We need to do the same thing to bring back greenery to the city. I work with the government in Vietnam, but it’s very hard to convince them to change the law. But here, if you work with the government and convince them about ensuring that every house or building has a green roof, then the situation can change for the better in just 3 to 5 years.

Since governments are hard to convince, is this something you think should come from the private sector?

To change the law is very difficult. We aim our projects with the intention of increasing the greenery of the city, but what’s more important is that the government release the regulation to push everybody to do it.

There is a concern about globalisation, and designs are now often starting to look all the same. The same building from Dubai is being put up in Tokyo and there is no connection to the context or the culture. What should young architects do to protect themselves from that, or how can they change it?

They need to clean up their minds. For example, Dhaka has the context of high density, the weather, and the materials here. If they know that very well, they will know how to deal with it.

Do you think globalisation is a problem?

No. That is the trend. We either follow it or we don’t. It depends on you. With globalisation you can learn things very fast. We can look up anything on the internet, but we also need to learn to be at the place, to know the weather, to know the culture, to know relevant details, and then you translate it all in the work you do.

What advice would you give to a young architect like me?

[Laughs] I think you should work with your heart, body and soul

This interview originally appeared in the Dhaka Tribune

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Aesthetics can be costly at times. The challenge is in knowing the appropriate amount, the justifications of where and when. To be economical and cost effective is paramount.

It is a privilege to be an architect.

The ability to visualize something better is engrained in us, but in a developing nation, it can also be a curse. I am never satisfied with my surroundings because I constantly see the potential of how it could all be better – a better city, a better nation, a better world. As an architect it is a struggle to not just cater to the myopic goals within the confines of a given site but to also see how a project fits into its context.

An architect can dictate the direction and quality of life through the manipulation and molding of a given space. Through our sensitivity and sensibilities can we create the essence of a dwelling. A house will be someone’s home where they forge their lives and create their memories. A university is not just the setting for classes, but the platform upon which leaders are made, or where lifelong lovers meet. A hospital is simultaneously life, sickness and death. A new baby will be born just down the hall from a great-grandmother breathing her last. A factory is not just the infrastructure of production but a vital cog in a nation’s economic machine.

Good design matters, and it is my belief that intelligent design can solve any problem.

As a young architect, at the very beginning of my career, I am perhaps naïve and still idealistic. I have met many seasoned architects whose professional trajectories frighten me, and maybe like them, time will wear me down and break my spirit. But for now, I still hope for the best and choose to believe in that little voice inside me called a designer.

Things are changing, and if you have the fortune of finding a client that seeks out the services of an architect, that’s half the battle. The idea of architecture in Bangladesh is still in its infancy and this can only be tackled through meaningful interaction and the execution of good projects.

At the crux of any project is the client, and the client is your patron. At the end of the day they pay for a project and so their requirements must be met. It is the role of an architect to be economical, to be restrained, to guide, advise and help visualize the client’s dream, not just that of the architect. Construction costs money. Don’t expense your dreams onto an unwitting client for the sake of your portfolio.

If a client already knew best then they would do it themselves and not seek your professional services. Professional being the key word. Do not be disillusioned. You are the provider of a service and it is your job to understand the needs, philosophy, mindset and background of your client to best serve him or her. People still think we’re engineers and this is something we have to change.

Nowadays clients see things on the internet, in magazines, or during their travels abroad and want to copy it. Do not succumb to copying.

When I asked Pritzker Prize Winning Architect Fumihiko Maki about this in an interview last year he said, “I think if you are just influenced you can still correct, but the problem of globalization is that being, sort of, uh… how should I say… the money starts to govern and direct the way architecture or city planning should go, and I think this is a problem we are all facing: Too much money going all around the world.”

Globalization is an ever-growing threat to architecture, especially for Bangladesh. Architects need to work to retain a sense of context and refrain from simply importing foreign concepts that do not apply. A language of design that speaks of who we are, our identity, our culture and our climate is something that will only come through introspection, experimentation and exploration.

Always ask yourself: “What is culturally appropriate?” Do not fall into what is #trending (which at the moment is fair-faced concrete and wood-cladding). Just because something is happening around you doesn’t mean that it’s right. Question everything. Unlearn what you know and see the beauty in absolutely everything. Look at things like a child and as if for first time. Don’t disregard anything. Architects are trained to be something most people don’t understand beyond the superficial.

An architect must be sensitive to all aspects of life for we cater to people above all else. It is not the edifice but the inhabitant who is our main responsibility. An interesting form is useless if it is irrelevant to the function and utility of a space. Biology, anthropology, psychology, geography, climate, history, philosophy are all incumbent facets of architecture.

Finally, think outside the box and don’t be afraid to question what is considered to be the norm.

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Never mind the ripple effect stopping traffic would have. Never mind the waste of resources. Never mind about those things. That’s a rant for a later time. I want to talk about the Prime Minister’s motorcade itself.

Why does she drive around in a Mercedes?

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh uses either a white or black B7 Level armored BMW 7-Series or a metallic silver, armored Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG SUV. The Elite Special Security Force & Army Guards Regiment in the President/Prime Minister’s motorcade use specially modified Lexus LXs and Nissan Patrols equipped with advanced communication systems.

– Wikipedia

Bangladesh used to have an automobile manufacturing company called Progoti. It’s state-run and was founded in 1966. They made cars. I don’t know if they were any good, or what happened to them, but now all they do is assemble Nissan’s.

If some guy named Leepu can put together khaat versions of Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s out of his own small garage, I think a state-run car company should at least be able to make cars for the state. Police cars, army trucks, buses, lorry’s, auto-rickshaws, cars for public servants, etc should all be home-made. With state demands and a government contract alone, a company should be able to sustain itself.

How are we expected to have any feeling of nationalism, or pride in our local produce if our own head-of-state would rather ride around in an armored German / Japanese car than something made here. Up until recently, the Indian Prime Minister used the Hindustan Motors’ Ambassador. ‘It was highly-armored and modified considerably for the use by the President, The Chief Justice of India, Vice-President, Governor, the Prime Minister, and Justice of High Court and Supreme Court.’ Nowadays, he uses two black, B7-level armored 2009 BMW 7 Series High Security saloons, with one acting as a decoy vehicle and one as Ambulance. They’re escorted by the SPG in five armored black BMW X5s and multiple Tata Safaris which are a permanent part of the Prime Minister’s convoy.

When will we learn?

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If you are you breathe. If you breathe you talk. If you talk you ask. If you ask you think. If you think you search. If you search you experience. If you experience you learn. If you learn you grow. If you grow you wish. If you wish you find. And if you find you doubt. If you doubt you question. If you question you understand and if you understand you know. If you know you want to know more. If you want to know more you are alive.

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Gone are the days when heroes were real. Gone are the days when people we looked up to were men and women of substance. Gone are the days…

I don’t know history. I don’t know politics. I wouldn’t even be able to tell you my supposed representative to parliament. Did you know Bangladesh has had 10 different Prime Ministers since independence? No? Neither did I. And if you don’t believe me, I Wikipedia-d that shit. Do you know about all these notable Bangladeshi people? I honestly don’t. These are the people who (in)directly  affect my life. They run this country. They represent our nation in the global arena.

Forget Bangladesh. How about some of the current top thinkers and leaders of the world today… mostly, no.

But, I do know my celebrity gossip. I know Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, George Clooney, Shahrukh Khan, Aishwariya Rai, Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra. I know who’s dating who, married to who and divorced who. I know what movies they’ve been in, and have seen most so many times I know the recent blockbusters by heart.

How did it come to this? Why are people pretending to be heroes, dramatized fictional characters, the people I know? Why do we idolize what I know to be mere entertainment? 

Just to be clear, I’m not hating on celebrities. They have a purpose, which is to entertain, to allow us a moment of escape to a world beyond our own, but when does it get to be too much?

In the past all a King had to do was look respectable in uniform and not fall off his horse. Now we must invade people’s homes and ingratiate ourselves with them. This family is reduced to those lowest, basest of all creatures, we’ve become actors! – King George V, A King’s Speech

Also, what the f*ck is this shit?

Are these film stars so hard up for cash that they need to reduce their personal relationship in advertisements? Yes we get it, you’re a couple now — we know. We’re happy for you. You look cute together and it’s a film-fraternity match made in heaven but is your identity so cheap?

Yes, many use their fame for good, but at the end of the day, it looks like most celebrities are just objects for us to fantasize and idolize. Sad thing is, it seems we’re all just sheep.

UPDATE (22JAN14):

A surprisingly brilliant presentation on the ideas of celebrity worship by Jack Gleeson (aka. Joffery Baratheon, Game of Thrones) at The Oxford Union. Who knew he was anything but a mean psychopath? The idea of who he is and what I’ve come to know based on what I’ve seen on the screen couldn’t be more wrong.

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The Noosphere (/ˈnoʊ.ɵsfɪər/; sometimes noösphere), according to the thought of Vladimir Vernadsky and Teilhard de Chardin, denotes the “sphere of human thought”.

In the original theory of Vernadsky, the noosphere is the third in a succession of phases of development of the Earth, after the geosphere (inanimate matter) and the biosphere (biological life). Just as the emergence of life fundamentally transformed the geosphere, the emergence of human cognition fundamentally transforms the biosphere. –  Wikipedia

We are all connected, you and I, on a plane higher than we are aware of. At some metaphysical level we are all vibrating at the same frequency — a global consciousness.  Skeptical? So was I, but this unseen link which may seem unreal to you has been observed scientifically and recorded empirically.

Worldwide there are 70 random number generators (RNGs) producing an unpredictable sequence of binary zeroes and ones, which generally has a 50-50 resultant; like the flipping of a coin, unbiased and random. However, ‘when a great event synchronizes the feelings of millions of people, our network of RNGs becomes subtly structured. The probability is less than one in a billion that the effect is due to chance. The evidence suggests an emerging noosphere, or the unifying field of consciousness described by sages in all cultures.‘ – Global Consciousness Project, Princeton University.

What that means is…

During events of high impact on the global population, such as the FIFA World Cup, Academy Awards or the 9/11 Terrorist Attack on the United States, the energy produced by peoples emotions/cognition around the world, affected the probability registered in the RNGs around them  thereby resulting in observable deviations.

“Subtle interactions link us with each other and the Earth.”

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