URBAN [RE]STITCH

Md Omor Faruk Sanim

Project idea

​THE CONTEXT ANALYSIS REVEALS A HIGH-DENSITY ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERIZED BY SIGNIFICANT LAND-USE DIVERSITY (INDUSTRIAL, INSTITUTIONAL, RESIDENTIAL, AND COMMERCIAL). KEY CHALLENGES IDENTIFIED INCLUDE ​THERMAL STRESS, WHERE TEMPERATURE MAPS INDICATE SIGNIFICANT "HOT SPOTS" IN BUILT-UP AREAS. THE RAILWAY AND ELEVATED EXPRESSWAY ACT AS PHYSICAL DIVIDES THAT ISOLATE DISTRICTS. ​VEGETATION DEFICIT IN FIGURE-GROUND STUDIES SHOW A LACK OF PERMEABLE GREEN SPACE, WITH MOST DISTRICTS HAVING LESS THAN 10% VEGETATION COVER. DESIGN DECISIONS PROPOSE THE GREEN CORRIDOR, DEFINED BY THE 45° SUNLIGHT RULE, A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK USED TO DETERMINE THE "INTERVENTION ZONE." BY ANALYZING SOLAR ANGLES, THE PROJECT DETERMINES THE DEPTH AT WHICH SUNLIGHT CAN PENETRATE DEEP URBAN CANYONS, ENSURING THE GREEN CORRIDOR REMAINS VIABLE FOR PLANT LIFE AND COMFORTABLE FOR HUMAN USE.

Project description

THE CORE VISION OF THE PROJECT IS TO "STITCH" TOGETHER DISPARATE NEIGHBORHOODS (INCLUDING THE TEJGAON INDUSTRIAL AREA AND KARWAN BAZAR AREA) BY TRANSFORMING UNDERUTILIZED INFRASTRUCTURAL BARRIERS INTO ACTIVE CIVIC SPACES. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES INCLUDE ​ECOLOGICAL CONNECTIVITY- ESTABLISHING A CONTINUOUS GREEN AND BLUE NETWORK TO MITIGATE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECTS AND IMPROVE LOCAL BIODIVERSITY. ​MOBILITY INTEGRATION PRIORITIZES NON-MOTORIZED TRANSPORT (NMT) AND PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION, CREATING A "SINUOUS PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLING SPINE" THAT REPLACES OR RUNS PARALLEL TO RIGID RAIL AND ROAD LINES,. ADAPTIVE URBANISM UTILIZES "FOLLIES" AND MODULAR ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTIONS TO ACTIVATE PUBLIC SPACES UNDER AND AROUND ELEVATED STRUCTURES.

Technical information

KEY DESIGN ELEMENTS LIKE ​THE SINUOUS SPINE, A FLUID PATH FOR PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS THAT BREAKS THE RIGIDITY OF THE EXISTING GRID, CREATE "POCKETS" FOR SOCIAL INTERACTION. ​URBAN FOLLIES ARE INTRODUCED AS MODULAR STRUCTURES CATEGORIZED BY INTENSITY (COMPACT, MODERATE, EXPANSIVE) THAT SERVE AS ACTIVATORS FOR REST, PLAY, INTERACTION, AND MOVEMENT. ​PLAZA TYPOLOGIES INVOLVE TRANSITIONING FROM OPEN GROUND-FLOOR PLAZAS IN COMMERCIAL ZONES TO SPECIALIZED "MOSQUE PLAZAS" AND "TRUCK STAND ROAD" RECONFIGURATIONS, ENSURING THE DESIGN RESPECTS EXISTING CULTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL LANDMARKS.

FAR (FLOOR AREA RATIO) & BLOCK DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES PROPOSE A RADICAL SHIFT IN HOW BUILDING MASS IS DISTRIBUTED. INSTEAD OF THE CURRENT TREND OF "FILLING THE PLOT," THE DAP GUIDELINES ARE RECALIBRATED TO TRADE VERTICAL HEIGHT FOR GROUND-LEVEL PUBLIC SPACE. ​INDUSTRIAL BLOCKS TRANSFORM FROM "SOLID INDUSTRIAL" (HIGH COVERAGE, LOW PERMEABILITY) TO "FRAGMENTED INDUSTRIAL” MASSING. BY INCREASING THE ALLOWABLE FAR BUT MANDATING A SMALLER FOOTPRINT, THE GROUND IS "RELEASED" TO BECOME PART OF THE GREEN THREAD. ​MIXED-USE SCENARIOS (ADAPTIVE REUSE) HOLLOW OUT EXISTING ABANDONED BLOCKS TO CREATE INTERNAL COURTYARDS, MAINTAINING THE INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE WHILE IMPROVING VENTILATION, LIGHT & EXPERIENCE. ​MOUZA-MAP BASED PLOT ALLOTMENT FOR SMALLER, IRREGULAR RESIDENTIAL PLOTS ALLOWS NEIGHBORS TO POOL LAND TO CREATE A SHARED "INNER-BLOCK". THE GREEN LUNG RECEIVES A HIGHER BUILDABLE HEIGHT IN RETURN. ​

FOLLY TYPOLOGIES ARE PUBLIC SPACE ACTIVATORS ​DESIGNED AS 3D STRUCTURAL GRIDS THAT CAN BE "PLUGGED INTO" THE GREEN CORRIDOR. RATHER THAN PERMANENT, STATIC BUILDINGS, THESE ACT AS FLEXIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CAN EVOLVE WITH THE COMMUNITY'S NEEDS. ​COMPACT FOLLIES (REST & MOVE) ARE MINIMAL FOOTPRINT STRUCTURES, OFTEN LOCATED IN NARROW TRANSIT POINTS OR DENSE INTERSECTIONS. THEY FOCUS ON VERTICAL MOVEMENT (STAIRS/RAMPS) AND SMALL SHADED RESTING PLATFORMS. ​MODERATE FOLLIES (PLAY & INTERACT) ARE SITUATED IN MID-SIZED URBAN POCKETS, WHICH INCLUDE TIERED SEATING, SMALL PERFORMANCE STAGES, OR "URBAN PLAYGROUNDS." THEY BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE FAST-PACED STREET AND THE QUIET GREEN ZONES. ​EXPANSIVE FOLLIES (ECOLOGICAL & SOCIAL HUBS) ARE LARGE-SCALE COMPOSITIONS USED WHERE THE CORRIDOR WIDENS. THEY ALLOW FOR "CLIMBING" VEGETATION, COMMUNITY GARDENING, AND MULTI-LEVEL PUBLIC PLAZAS THAT OVERLOOK THE NEW WATER BODIES OR RESTORED RAIL LINES.

Documentation

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