Symbiosis Between Water and Architecture: Towards Hydro Based Urbanism in Keraniganj, Dhaka

Abstract

Bangladesh is located in the world’s largest delta where the relationship with water is totally different from rest of the world. The satellite image of Dhaka city shows the presence of water bodies that girdle the city in east and west periphery. At present Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh is growing with mind-numbing speed, filling up these lowlands for the extra population, as all the highlands are increasingly being built or covered. These wetlands which generally acted as flood basin for Dhaka is now unable to fulfill its purpose and thus increasing flood magnitude and its elongation period. This approach to land development is affecting the resilience of the city. This disturbance on environment can be termed as ‘ecological disaster’ making the situation worse for the people of Dhaka city. The analysis on pre-urban and post-urban context will express how the situation gets worse for unwise and unplanned decision-making and for not respecting the hydrology and its functions. The important observation is, the strategy of ‘flood-free land’ should be transformed to ‘flood-free building’ in the new innovative housing model in this context, which can relate to our society and culture and for reviving the relation with water which was very much prominent in the past. This way there will be more space for water during monsoon and flood. The study first asks the question of how can the diverse ecology and unique natural dynamics of Delta environment be restored and integrated with new and existing urban residential development in and around Dhaka city and aims to come up with a model of the new housing typology where human and other species and the natural functions of wetland can coexist.