0731 01 Arch 2202: Design Studio IV: Human and Environment

Session: 2023-2024
Neighbourhood Amenities Hub: Where Interaction Meets Celebration
Duration: 04 Week

PREAMBLE

As cities continue to densify and the dominance of apartment living reshapes the urban landscape
of Bangladesh, especially in second-tier cities like Khulna, the notion of “neighbourhood” is
becoming increasingly fragmented. Within the vertical, compact, and often isolated lifestyle, the
absence of meaningful communal spaces has begun to impact the way communities interact,
celebrate, and care for one another. Social rituals, intergenerational bonding, and even casual
encounters are becoming rare, as built environments become more individualistic and inward-
looking.

Building upon the previous design exercise of the Studio, that explored individual domestic life, this project
expands the architectural lens to embrace collective living — focusing on the shared rhythms, rituals, and
relationships that shape neighborhood life. This design project seeks to reclaim the idea of
community through architecture — by envisioning a Neighbourhood Center that serves as a
collective anchor for urban life. Whether nestled between apartment blocks and a high-density
residential zone, the neighborhood center will act as a multi-functional space of interaction,
learning, leisure, and celebration. It will bring together diverse groups — children, elderly
residents, homemakers, students, and working professionals — and offer opportunities for both
everyday use and festive gatherings.

The project invites students to reimagine how public architecture can repair social bonds in the
age of vertical living and urban anonymity. The center should offer spaces that foster routine
community engagement, such as reading, skill-sharing, recreation, and wellness, while being
adaptable enough to host events like cultural celebrations, and seasonal festivals.

From an architectural standpoint, students must respond to complex site constraints typical of
urban settings. They must design multi-mass buildings, organize efficient and inclusive
circulation systems, integrate vehicular and service access, and develop climate-responsive
spatial strategies that create comfort across indoor, semi-outdoor, and outdoor spaces.

Through this design exercise, students will explore how architectural form and spatial systems can
transform ordinary urban neighborhoods into thriving, inclusive, and celebratory
communities, that contribute to a more sustainable and equitable urban future.

OBJECTIVES

• Develop the ability to design multi-mass, multi-functional public spaces that respond
to community needs.
• Understand the role of climate and comfort in shaping communal environments.
 • Learn to manage circulation systems, including pedestrian paths, drop-offs, and parking
integration.
• Explore the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces through thresholds.
• Encourage the design of architecture that is context-sensitive, inclusive, and expressive
of cultural life.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Understand the impact of climate and its elements on community-scale architecture and
human comfort.
• Gain proficiency in organizing multi-mass-built forms and connecting them through
clear spatial logic.
• Develop strategies for integrating public, semi-public, and service zones through
circulation design.
• Learn how to design spaces that support both everyday utility and festive
transformation.
• Acquire skills in visualizing spatial transitions, contextual integration, and
sustainability.
• Enhance ability to develop responsive building envelopes and explore local material
potentials.

PHASES
Phase 01: Study Phase (Week 01)
A. Literature & Precedent Review
• Study the function and impact of neighbourhood/community centres in dense tropical urban
environments.
• Identify key spatial features: Parking Requirements, public–private gradients, open-air transitions,
celebratory spaces, community programs.
B. Case Study Analysis
• Analyze relevant case studies using a structured checklist.
• Focus on massing, climate response, zoning, cultural programming, and material expression.
C. Site Analysis
• Analyze assigned site:
o Sun path, wind flow, noise zones.
o Movement patterns and accessibility.
o Edge conditions and vegetation.
o Surrounding residential fabric and cultural practices.

Deliverables (End of Week 01):

• Site analysis diagrams
• Case study board
• Program framework + checklist
• Conceptual zoning bubble diagram
Phase 02: Design Development & Presentation (Week 02–04)
Week 02: Conceptual Design
• Develop massing ideas based on program and climate.
• Design spatial zoning (public, semi-public, service).
• Early circulation concepts and parking integration.
• Begin sectional and spatial relationship.
•
Week 03: Finalization of Design
• Finalize plans, sections, elevations.
• Refine path-space relationships and material articulation.
• Focus on spatial transitions between interaction and celebration zones.
•
Week 04: Presentation
• Produce final drawings, diagrams, and detail model.
• Prepare climate analysis overlays and concept narrative.
• Render views or perspectives showing user engagement and climatic comfort.
• Jury presentation with verbal narrative and visual board.

PROJECT TIMELINE
Assessment 01 13 April ,2025
A. Literature & Precedent Review B. Case Study Analysis
Review 01 20-21 April ,2025
Site Analysis Bubble diagram, schematic zoning, conceptual sectional Drawings, schematic sketch
and mass model.
Final Review 27-28 April ,2025
Site Analysis Bubble diagram, schematic zoning, conceptual sectional Drawings, schematic sketch
and mass model.
Final Appraisal 06-07 May ,2025
All necessary Documents and final model
Term End Exhibition 08 May ,2025

PROGRAMS
Multipurpose Hall 4500-5000Sqft
200 nos Banquet facility, kitchen, storage
Community Library 1000 Sqft
Indoor games 2500 Sqft
Senior Citizen Lounge 1000 Sqft
Children Playground As required
Community Super Shop 1500 Sqft
Admin Office 500 Sqft
3 nos Executive’s Rooms, 1 nos Conference Room
Parking As Required
10 nos Car, 1 nos mini truck
Toilet Facilities (Male,Female) As Required
*70 % Space must be kept open.
 EVALUATION CRITERIA
• Climatic Responsiveness – Integration of passive strategies for ventilation, light, and
thermal and other climatic comfort.
• Spatial Clarity & Multi-Mass Handling – Zoning, transitions, and hierarchical
organization.
• Circulation Design – Efficient, inclusive, and context-aware movement systems both
within and between forms.
• Indoor-Outdoor Synergy – Quality of spatial thresholds and outdoor engagement.
• Cultural Appropriateness & Celebration Flexibility – Reflecting neighborhood rituals
and joy.
• Sustainability – Use of local materials, ecological sensitivity, energy consciousness.

Sites

Site Location:
Moyuri Residential Area

Studio Facilitator:
Md. Sk. Maruf Hossain Shibu Prashad Bosu Nur Mohammad Khan Md. Toukir Hossain
Associate Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor Part-time Teaching Staff