The present thesis work investigates the Vernacular Rural Architecture of Bangladesh, focusing on residential and institutional architecture, examined within the historical, political, and geographical context of the country. Bangladesh is characterized by a tropical climate and by hot, humid temperatures that are different according to the geographical areas, translating in a heterogeneous production of architecture. The country is also crossed by a multitude of rivers, frequently subject to flooding, during the monsoon period, which obstacle the preservation of the architecture over the centuries. The Architecture of Rural Areas of Bangladesh has a long tradition and a strong cultural identity. Villagers have always built their homes independently throughout history. Traditionally, Rural structures were built with the exclusive use of locally available natural materials. This means no high cost and buildings perfectly in harmony with the surrounding climate and atmosphere. The local materials are processed with traditional construction techniques. The main problem with these structures is related to the concept of the durability. Materials such as bamboo, earth, or clay require continuous maintenance, especially in a country like Bangladesh which is continually subject to heavy rains. With the advent of industrialization, new materials such as corrugated metal sheeting or concrete, arrived in these lands, even if late compared to the rest of the world. Immediately they represented the symbol of change for the local population, of novelty, of the avant-garde, but, even more, of durability. This event caused a drastic change in the way rural houses were built, which began in the 1960s and never ended, with a consequent detachment from the old building traditions, together with the loss of the local representative architectural identity. Today, villagers who live in mud or bamboo houses are socially not well considered. Local materials suffer from a social stigmatization. The use of industrial materials in rural vernacular architecture has also generated numerous environmental and climatic problems, also linked to the issue of trash disposal. In fact, industrial materials are not suitable for the hot-humid temperatures of Bangladesh and continuous exposure to solar radiation deteriorates them quickly. The new homes have inadequate thermal comfort, being very hot during summer months and very cold during winter. Even the soundproofing is null, causing great discomfort during storms. Even worse, with the abandonment of tradition, villagers are also gradually forgetting the great technical skills used to resist floods, transmitted through generations. It's important to talk about this issue not only from a social point of view, related to identity and cultural reasons, but also for technical ones. In this thesis work, the village of Kheuni-Binyachapar will be used as a project site, which is located within the Bogra district, in north of the country, where the temperature difference between winter and summer is extreme. The choice of the place is given by two factors: firstly, the long history of the village and the presence, still numerous, of centuries-old mud houses, has allowed an empirical study of the vernacular architecture; secondly, a still very traditional village like this allows a strong enhancement of a local architectural identity. This allows a very authentic context to emerge, not contaminated by industrialization. The choice of an institutional building is due to the scarce presence of these in rural areas. In fact, before the British colonization, the villagers did not even know of its existence. To design this project, it was necessary to pass through two phases. The first is about a work of analysis and survey of the village, and the analysis of some mud houses, taken as case study, of the village. Through this, it was possible to understand the limits and advantages of local materials, but above all the typical morphology of these houses, which reflect a rural lifestyle with certain climatic needs. Being in touch with a real community, allow to understand the specific needs of the place, and to design a responsible architectural project that reflects the local needs and characteristics of the village, both social and climatic. The use of local materials inside institutional buildings, that represent a landmark for villagers, is linked with the hope of re-educated people in re-using them also in private houses, in order to recover and preserve the traditional architectural identity. To fully understand what villagers of Kheuni-Binyachapar wanted, it was necessary spending time with the community, to understand as much as possible their background. The research, conducted with research by design method, took several months, during which it was necessary to directly stay in the village and talk with the people, which directly expressed their interest and need and their willingness to cooperate. The qualitative investigation conducted on the site collects a set of practical data used to study the villagers also from an anthropological field. In the absence of a local government, local NGOs were consulted. Also in this case, direct contact with the office bodies was fundamental in order to learn the socio-cultural dynamics.
Il presente lavoro di tesi ha come oggetto di indagine l’architettura rurale del Bangladesh, focalizzato in particolare sull’architettura residenziale ed istituzionale, esaminata all’interno del contesto storico, politico e geografico del paese. Il Bangladesh è un paese caratterizzato da un clima tropicale e presenta temperature caldo umide che differiscono a seconda delle aree geografiche, declinandosi in una produzione eterogenea di architetture. Il paese è inoltre attraversato da una moltitudine di fiumi, frequentemente soggetti ad esondazioni, nei mesi monsonici, che ostacolano la preservazione delle architetture attraverso i secoli. L’architettura delle aree rurali del Bangladesh ha una lunga tradizione e una forte identità culturale. Gli abitanti dei villaggi, da sempre nella storia, realizzano le loro abitazioni autonomamente. Tradizionalmente, le strutture rurali venivano edificate tramite l’utilizzo esclusivo di materiali reperibili in loco. Questo permetteva alla popolazione di realizzare edifici senza alcun costo e perfettamente in armonia con il clima e l’atmosfera circostante. I materiali locali venivano poi successivamente lavorati con tecniche costruttive tradizionali. Molto riconosciuta era per esempio la figura dei craftsmen, cioè di coloro che intrecciano le stuoie di bambù creando una vastità di disegni raffinati. Tale lavoro era molto comune e identitario in antichità, mentre oggi è scarsamente praticato. Il problema principale di queste strutture è quello della durabilità. Materiali come il bambù, la terra o l’argilla, se non cotta, necessitano di una continua manutenzione specialmente in un paese come il Bangladesh continuamente soggetto a forti piogge. Con l’avvento dell’industrializzazione, nuovi materiali come la lamiera grecata in metallo o il cemento sono pervenuti in queste terre, anche se in ritardo rispetto a tutto il resto del mondo, rappresentando fin da subito per la popolazione locale il simbolo del cambiamento, della novità, dell’avanguardia, ma, ancor di più, della durabilità. Questo evento ha causato un drastico cambiamento nel modo di costruire le abitazioni rurali, iniziato negli anni 60 del 900 e mai terminato, con conseguente allontanamento dalle vecchie tradizioni costruttive, assieme alla perdita dell’identità architettonica rappresentativa locale. Oggi, coloro che nei villaggi posseggono una casa in fango o in bambù, sono considerati poveri e arretrati. I materiali locali soffrono di una stigmatizzazione sociale. Tale cambiamento ha inoltre generato numerosi problemi ambientali e climatici, legati anche al tema dello smaltimento rifiuti. I materiali industriali non sono infatti adatti alle temperature caldo umide del Bangladesh e la continua esposizione alle irradiazioni solari li deteriora velocemente. Le nuove abitazioni presentano un comfort termico inadeguato, essendo molto calde durante le stagioni della primavera e dell’estate e molto fredde durante l’autunno e l’inverno. Anche l’isolamento acustico è nullo, causa di un grosso disagio durante i temporali. Ancora peggio, con l’abbandono della tradizione, gli abitanti dei villaggi stanno dimenticando gradualmente anche le grandi capacità tecniche utilizzate per resistere alle inondazioni, tramandate nella pratica da generazioni. È importante dunque lavorare su questa tematica non solo per motivazioni sociali, identitarie e culturali, ma anche tecniche. Nel presente lavoro di tesi, verrà utilizzato come sito di progetto il villaggio di Kheuni-Binyachapar, che si colloca all’intero del distretto di Bogra, a nord del paese, dove l’escursione termica tra inverno ed estate è estrema. La scelta del luogo è data due fattori: in primo luogo, la lunga storia del villaggio e la presenza, ancora numerosa, di case di fango secolari, ha permesso uno studio empirico dell’architettura vernacolare; secondariamente, un villaggio ancora molto tradizionale come questo, consente una forte valorizzazione di un’identità architettonica locale. È infatti molto lontano dalle aree urbane circostanti e le strade irregolari lo rendono difficile da raggiungere. Questo permette di far emergere un contesto molto autentico, non contaminato dall’industrializzazione. Nel nord del paese, inoltre, sono facilmente reperibili materiali di terra e di bambù. L’utilizzo combinato di essi rappresenta l’idioma perfetto della cultura architettonica vernacolare. La scelta di un edificio istituzionale è dovuta alla scarsa presenza di questi nelle aree rurali. Prima della colonizzazione britannica, infatti, gli abitanti dei villaggi non ne conoscevano nemmeno l’esistenza. Nel villaggio di Kheuni-Binyachapar non vi è alcun edificio di questo genere. La progettazione dell’edificio istituzionale ha seguito due fasi. La prima riguarda un lavoro di analisi e di rilievo del villaggio e delle abitazioni private della comunità. Attraverso questa pratica è stato possibile comprendere i limiti e i vantaggi dei materiali locali, ma soprattutto il tipico programma funzionale degli alloggi, che riflettono uno stile di vita rurale con determinate esigenze climatiche. È stato anche necessario per poter comprendere pienamente la cultura della popolazione indigena. Avere una comunità reale con cui confrontarsi ha reso evidenti le necessità specifiche del luogo, ed ha reso possibile ideare un progetto architettonico, che rispecchiasse responsabilmente e consapevolmente le esigenze locali le caratteristiche del villaggio, sia sociali che climatiche. L’utilizzo dei materiali locali all’interno di un edificio istituzionale consente la loro valorizzazione e una conseguente speranza verso il riutilizzo di essi anche nelle abitazioni private, al fine di recuperare e preservare l’identità architettonica tradizionale. L’intenzione è quella di far diventare questo progetto, un simbolo per gli abitanti del villaggio, un luogo in cui mescolarsi e svolgere le attività della comunità insieme. Questo è possibile solamente attraverso una piena conoscenza del villaggio e della sua comunità. La ricerca, condotta con l’ausilio metodo del research by design, ha impiegato diversi mesi, durante i quali è stato possibile conoscere e comunicare direttamente con la comunità del villaggio, che ha manifestato espressamente e direttamente il suo interesse e la sua necessità e la sua volontà di collaborare. L’indagine qualitativa condotta sul sito colleziona un insieme di dati pratici necessari per studiare tale fenomeno antropologico. In assenza di un governamento locale, sono state studiate le NGO locali che agiscono a tutela degli abitanti dei villaggi e delle loro tradizioni. Anche in questo caso, un contatto diretto con gli organi di ufficio è stato fondamentale al fine dell’apprendimento delle dinamiche socioculturali del luogo.
Monowara Hospital : a project for a clinical hospital in Khewni-Binnyachapar Village in Bangladesh
Betti, Federica
2022/2023
Abstract
The present thesis work investigates the Vernacular Rural Architecture of Bangladesh, focusing on residential and institutional architecture, examined within the historical, political, and geographical context of the country. Bangladesh is characterized by a tropical climate and by hot, humid temperatures that are different according to the geographical areas, translating in a heterogeneous production of architecture. The country is also crossed by a multitude of rivers, frequently subject to flooding, during the monsoon period, which obstacle the preservation of the architecture over the centuries. The Architecture of Rural Areas of Bangladesh has a long tradition and a strong cultural identity. Villagers have always built their homes independently throughout history. Traditionally, Rural structures were built with the exclusive use of locally available natural materials. This means no high cost and buildings perfectly in harmony with the surrounding climate and atmosphere. The local materials are processed with traditional construction techniques. The main problem with these structures is related to the concept of the durability. Materials such as bamboo, earth, or clay require continuous maintenance, especially in a country like Bangladesh which is continually subject to heavy rains. With the advent of industrialization, new materials such as corrugated metal sheeting or concrete, arrived in these lands, even if late compared to the rest of the world. Immediately they represented the symbol of change for the local population, of novelty, of the avant-garde, but, even more, of durability. This event caused a drastic change in the way rural houses were built, which began in the 1960s and never ended, with a consequent detachment from the old building traditions, together with the loss of the local representative architectural identity. Today, villagers who live in mud or bamboo houses are socially not well considered. Local materials suffer from a social stigmatization. The use of industrial materials in rural vernacular architecture has also generated numerous environmental and climatic problems, also linked to the issue of trash disposal. In fact, industrial materials are not suitable for the hot-humid temperatures of Bangladesh and continuous exposure to solar radiation deteriorates them quickly. The new homes have inadequate thermal comfort, being very hot during summer months and very cold during winter. Even the soundproofing is null, causing great discomfort during storms. Even worse, with the abandonment of tradition, villagers are also gradually forgetting the great technical skills used to resist floods, transmitted through generations. It's important to talk about this issue not only from a social point of view, related to identity and cultural reasons, but also for technical ones. In this thesis work, the village of Kheuni-Binyachapar will be used as a project site, which is located within the Bogra district, in north of the country, where the temperature difference between winter and summer is extreme. The choice of the place is given by two factors: firstly, the long history of the village and the presence, still numerous, of centuries-old mud houses, has allowed an empirical study of the vernacular architecture; secondly, a still very traditional village like this allows a strong enhancement of a local architectural identity. This allows a very authentic context to emerge, not contaminated by industrialization. The choice of an institutional building is due to the scarce presence of these in rural areas. In fact, before the British colonization, the villagers did not even know of its existence. To design this project, it was necessary to pass through two phases. The first is about a work of analysis and survey of the village, and the analysis of some mud houses, taken as case study, of the village. Through this, it was possible to understand the limits and advantages of local materials, but above all the typical morphology of these houses, which reflect a rural lifestyle with certain climatic needs. Being in touch with a real community, allow to understand the specific needs of the place, and to design a responsible architectural project that reflects the local needs and characteristics of the village, both social and climatic. The use of local materials inside institutional buildings, that represent a landmark for villagers, is linked with the hope of re-educated people in re-using them also in private houses, in order to recover and preserve the traditional architectural identity. To fully understand what villagers of Kheuni-Binyachapar wanted, it was necessary spending time with the community, to understand as much as possible their background. The research, conducted with research by design method, took several months, during which it was necessary to directly stay in the village and talk with the people, which directly expressed their interest and need and their willingness to cooperate. The qualitative investigation conducted on the site collects a set of practical data used to study the villagers also from an anthropological field. In the absence of a local government, local NGOs were consulted. Also in this case, direct contact with the office bodies was fundamental in order to learn the socio-cultural dynamics.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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2024_04_Betti_Booklet.pdf
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2024_04_Betti_Book Case Study.pdf
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2024_04_Betti_Analysis.pdf
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2024_04_Betti_Project.pdf
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2024_04_Betti_Views.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/218700