A STUDY ON THE SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE

HOUSES OF PANAM NAGAR, SONARGAON.

Seminar Presentation on

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Sonargaon In History Of Bengal

Medieval Period(Muslim)

• Until the British realm, was a provincial metropolis, port city and an international trade center.

• Famous for the finest cotton named Muslin.

Modern Period(British-Colony) Ancient Period(pre-Muslim)

Boundary of Bengal

The existence of Sonargaon

Source: Banglapedia

(Reference: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003, Sonargaon-

Panam)

Sonargaon

map published in 1650 Ad

source-Asiatic society) Sonargaon-In a Historical Map of the World Trade

Sonargaon In International Trade:

Territory of Bengal

(Reference: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003, Sonargaon-

Panam)

Location of Sonargaon:

• 27 kilometers to the south-east of Dhaka city.

• Surrounded by rivers on all four sides.

Architectural Significance of Sonargaon:

• A large group of historic monuments scattered

all over Sonargaon.

•Great range of variety in the field of

architecture and a long span of time. (Sultanate

to Colonial)

Mouza Map

Historic

Monuments(pre-

colonial)

Historic

Monuments(coloni

al)

References: 1. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003, Sonargaon-

Panam

Attracted the attention of the company in early 19th century.

• Small

township Probably On the ancient village

Panam

Panam-an Unique Settlement in Historic Sonargaon

References: 1. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003, Sonargaon-

Panam

2. Taylor, J. A Sketch of the topography and statistics of Dacca, Calcutta, 1840.

• Panam Nagar is a Part of Historic Sonargaon that contains a large assemble

of secular buildings.

Socio-Economic History of Panam Nagar-

• The owners were originally traders, Shahas or Poddars.

• Gradually became Zamindars came there occasionally

only in ‘Durga-Puja’.

•Probably grew as a by product of commercial activities by

English East India Company.

• Renowned for the finest cotton of Sonargaon.

Cotton Industry of the east India Company beside

Panam.

Brennand W, 1872

(source: India Library, www.indialibrery.org)

Panam Nagar,(asiatic society)

•Present settlement Early 19th to early 20th century

• Well organized urbanization in a rural setup.

• ponds were used commonly.

• Protected by artificial cannels on all sides. Served sanitation purpose as well

Description of the Study Area: General Features of the Settlement

References: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003, Sonargaon-

Panam

The Street facing Buildings of Panam

Brennand W, 1872

(source: India Library, www.indialibrery.org) Present View

Type of Built Forms:

Following classification are seen in the Panam Houses.

Buildings of Panam

Compound

Central Courtyard Type

Street Front

Central Hall Type

Consolidated

Type

This Study will focus on the different types of Street front houses.

References: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003, Sonargaon-

Panam

Street front Houses

There are 52 buildings in Panam Nagar.

4-Central Hall type.

5 Central Courtyard type

The rest are Consolidated type.

One atypical case is there, house no-5 which has

both a hall in the 1st floor and a central court.

Central Courtyard Type

Central Hall Type

Consolidated Type

Buildings of Panam Nagar:

Type of Buildings:

3 types of buildings. (ASB)

1. Central Courtyard Type-

House no-5,9,36,38 and 40.

2. Central Hall Type-

House no-1,2,5,16 and 26

3. Consolidated Type-

The rest of the buildings are of

this type, except few

cases.

Central court

Colonnade Double

heighted space

Single heighted part of the

hall.

• Buildings are described as residential in character. (ASB)

• Represent an unique architectural style- in terms of

i. Elevation and Ornamentation.

ii. Structural and Construction Detail.

iii. Spatial Organization.

• A group of highly ornamented buildings in enclosed form.

• Every building got the frontage of the road.

Physical Organization of Buildings:

Extensively decorated opening in the

street front façade, the other parts are

comparatively flat.

Elevation And Ornamentation:

Front Elevation

Ornamentation

Structure and Construction Details:

Kori- Barga Roofing Vaulted roof with brick and

lime plaster

Flat roof of brick

Column Floor Joint Brick detail Wall thickness

Spatial Organization

Double heighted hall staircase Linear Corridor

Central court backyard Veranda, the

transitional space

Roof top temple

Secondary entry in

the rear part

Possible Research Interests:

• Extensively ornamented façade.

• Different type of structural system.

• Highly mature plan layout but have lack of information about the functional zoning or spatial organization.

Architectural Research Interest

Generic character of buildings through plan

analysis

Typological character of buildings by studying

elevation and ornamentation.

Structural and construction detail

analysis

Important Elements of Building Layout/Plan:

-Courtyards: single, multiple etc.

-Central Halls: double height

-Layering of Spaces: public and private space was separated by layers of rooms.

-Circulation pattern: accessibility, transition and connections by veranda and

corridors, stairs and rooms.

- Zoning: commercial and residential purpose in the same buildings, service &

served spaces, front back etc.

Focus of the Study: Spatial Organization

Morphological analysis by studying the building plans of Panam Nagar.

Issues Needs to be Investigated: Spatial Organization

1. Spatial organization within these three types of buildings And reason of this difference.

2. Possible Use in these buildings- Residential? Mixed use? Recreational?

3. External Influences- Regional? Foreign? Where is the root?

4. Genotype.

Chronological Development of Urban House Forms in this Region:

Consolidated Bungalow

Composite Bungalow

Influence from rural vernacular architecture

Western influence of the colonial rulers.

Enclosed Courtyard Houses

compactness Indicates urban need

Traditional Rural Houses

Single room around a court yard Multiple rooms

Reference: 1. Dr. Khan F.U. Colonial Architecture of Bangladesh, unpublished PHD thesis, Department of Islamic History, The University of

Dhaka.

2. A Study on Urban Housing, Imamuddin A.H, Unpublished Thesis, Masters of Engineering in Architecture, Katholic University of Leuven.

3. Multi-Court House of Old Dhaka, Haque, Ferdouse Ara, Unpublished Masters thesis, Department of Architecture, BUET.

Urban House Form

Indigenous Pattern

(the old city)

Fusion of indigenous and formal pattern

Formal Pattern

(the planned new city)

Type of Urban House Forms in this Region:

Urban House Forms

Introverted

Central Court

(Pre-Colonial/ Colonial)

Detached

Rural Courtyard Houses

Enclosed

High density urban living,

Multi-storied building around a small court.

Rooms have multiple functions.

Extroverted

(Colonial)

Composite

Bungalow

Consolidated

Integrate Living and Service Part in a single

mass.

Reference: 1. A Study on Urban Housing, Imamuddin A.H, Unpublished Thesis, Masters of Engineering in Architecture, Katholic

University of Leuven.

2. Multi-Court House of Old Dhaka, Haque, Ferdouse Ara, Unpublished Masters thesis, Department of Architecture, BUET.

Where does Panam Buildings stand in these typology?

Problem Statement

• Compactness and Maximum utilization of space without any evidence of their use pattern.

• Highly mature and compact organization of buildings in a remote rural area draws

attention about the ‘Genotype of Houses’ of this settlement.

• The Courtyard/ Hall is a very significant part of the organization. The articulation of

spaces around the courtyard draws attention. How similar are they to other TYPES that

were evolved in this region?

• The Typology made by ASB doesn’t refer these buildings towards any known group of

this region.

(ASB-Asiatic Society of Bangladesh)

Research Rational: • No remarkable study has been done yet to understand the spatial organization of these

buildings.

• Without understanding the morphological character of these buildings the history of housing

of this region would remain incomplete. So, it is necessary to decode these buildings to have

a complete understanding of the history of house forms of this region.

Research Question:

1. What are the interpretation of space within different types of buildings classified by ASB?

What are the basic organization pattern of the houses of Panam?

2. What is the origin of such a complex organization? Is there any influence of the urban

houses of this region on patterning the houses of Panam?

Objective:

• Try to explain the organizational pattern of different types of buildings of Panam Nagar.(

Considering the ASB research)

• Try to find out the origin of this collection of buildings by putting them in the broader range

of residential buildings of this region.

(ASB-Asiatic Society of Bangladesh)

Limitations:

-Lack of Information about the function of these buildings therefore spatial organization is not

clear.

- At present, Buildings are not accessible for physical survey.

Methodological framework

Literature Review

Research Question

Step-02

Analyze selective

case studies of the

urban house forms of

this region.

Step-01

Analyze selected case

of different types of

houses of Panam

Spatial Analysis through

Space Syntax

Field Survey and Cartographic

Record Study

Step-04

Analysis and

synthesis of

the data

Findings

and

Conclusion

To understand

the historical

background of

Panam Nagar

and the house

forms of this

region.

.

Development

of objectives

Case Selection:

Among them 6 buildings of 3 types are selected as Case Study

Source Number of Buildings

Complete Drawing

Incomplete Drawings

Department of Archeology

19 11 8

Asiatic Society of Bangladesh

7 - 7

Unpublished Sources

40 22 18

Accessible through Field Survey

6 - -

Analysis With Space Syntax:

• Space Syntax encompasses a set of theories and techniques for the analysis of

spatial configurations.

• In this theory, spaces can be broken down into components, analyzed as networks of

choices, then represented as maps and graphs that describe the relative connectivity

and integration of those spaces.

• J-Graph Analysis is an analysis tool of Space Syntax which helps to understand the

spatial quality of a building.

• Founded on the study of the forms and arrangements of the buildings-Geometry and

Topology.

J-Graph can be used to analyze the buildings of Panam Nagar.

Case Study-1

Building no: 27

Type: Consolidated

Storey: 2

Use Pattern: Not defined.

Ground floor plan

1st floor plan

Veranda

Rooms

Corridor

backyard

2

4

2

3

1

1

1

2

3

2

1

4

2

1

1

2

1

2

1

2

Lavatory

RRA Tree

Depth Tree

Case Study:2

Building No-45

Storey-Single.

Type: Consolidated.

Use Pattern: Not Defined.

9 8 7

4 5

6

3

1

2

1

Room

lavatory

Corridor

1

Depth Tree

RRA Tree

Analysis Table:

Case Study-3

Building No: 33

Kasinath House

Storey: 2 storied

Type: Central courtyard

Use Pattern: Residential.

Ground floor plan

1st floor plan

1 court

court

court

Room

Corridor

Veranda

lavatory

Depth Tree

RRA Tree

1

2

3

4

5 6

7 8

2

3

1

2 3

4

5 6

7 8

9

9

2 1

3

Analysis Table:

Case Study-4

Building No: 5

Type: Central Courtyard Type.

Storey: 3 storied.

court court court

Ground floor plan

1st floor plan 2nd floor plan

Room

Corridor

Veranda

lavatory

temple

1

1

1

2 1 1

2 2

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

6 6

7

8 9

1 1

2 2

3

2

RRA Tree

Depth Tree

Case Study: 5

Building no: 9

Type: Central Hall type

Storey: 2 storied.

Use Pattern: Not Defined.

1

2

1 1

1

2

1 1 2

Room

Hall

Veranda

Corridor

Depth Tree

RRA Tree

Analysis Table:

Comparative Analysis of Different Type of Buildings

Possible Outcome:

• we may find a clue to reach to the origin of the secular built form of this

region.

• it can also give direction to the society of the affluent class of people who

were the patronize of the architecture of this region.

References-

1. Dr. Khan F.U. Colonial Architecture of Bangladesh, unpublished PHD thesis, Department of Islamic

History, The University of Dhaka.

2., Imamuddin A.H, A Study on Urban Housing Unpublished Thesis, Masters of Engineering in Architecture,

Katholic University of Leuven.

3. Multi-Court House of Old Dhaka, Haque, Ferdouse Ara, Unpublished Masters thesis, Department of

Architecture, BUET.

4. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003,

Sonargaon-Panam.

5. Taylor, J. A Sketch of the topography and statistics of Dacca, Calcutta, 1840.

6. Steadman, JP, Architectural Morphology, 1989.

Thank You

Pushpita Eshika

Roll-100701021p