Designing for dwelling in the delta

Speaking on the occasion, the German Ambassador Dietrich Andreas said, " In the course of my four-year stay in this country, I have been fascinated to witness the way the people dwell in the unique deltaic lands of Bengal, which are so intrinsically dominated by water and winds. Over the recent span of time, their challenges seem to have become more serious with extensive severe floods. With an appeal to the fresh creativity and talent of the young generation of the country, we have invited the students of architecture to come forward with innovative remedies in the framework of a design competition."

Saiful Haque, who had arranged the competition, also explains the genesis of the project: "It was during an afternoon in September 2004, while listening to the recent experience of a visit to the flood-affected chars by my friend Guido Genrich from the German Embassy in Dhaka, the idea of organising a competition for the students of architecture in Bangladesh originated.

"The fragile construction of most houses and the absence of ground above flood level in the house compound cause immense damage to food grains, household and personal belongings of the people."

The project involved designing a dwelling unit for a family of four living in a village near a small river. The family shares a homestead compound. The husband is a farmer and in the monsoon engages in fishing. The wife looks after the household work and in addition has poultry and livestock. The children go to school.

The jury consisted of architects Muzharul Islam, Bashirul Haq, Nahas Ahmed Khalil, engineer Professor Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, and Veena Khaleque, development practitioner.

The 1st prize went to Khondokar Abdal Hossain, the 2nd prize to Jinia Sharmeen and Samia Jahan while the 3rd prize went to Sharfin Afroze and Amin Ahmed.