portfolio 4 web

SEPTEMBER 2003 SEPTMBER 2009

farmin ahsan

portfolio

architecture

studio x

studio ix studio viii

studio vi

studio v

theses project

class projectclass project

class project

class project

sos children’s village ,sylhet

college of performing arts housing design

mixed use development-highrise design

residence for an extended family

table of contents

academic portfolio (september ‘03- december ‘08)

4 storey single unit residence

work-experience portfolio

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0407

10

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14

page no.

10 day hands-on workshop on “modern earthen structure & architecture 16

photgraphy 18

keeping in the mind for whom the project was being done and those who would be staying there, the concept for the design was developed so as to give happiness to all the children living in the village . founder of sos kinderdorf - hermann gmeiner believed that every child had a right to happiness and a family. in the village, children are the first priority and thus to give them an opportunity to identify with the spaces was chosen to be a part of the concept. one important aspect they lacked as human beings was the feeling of identity, the feeling of belonging ness. so the target was set to design such a complex where each and every space was unique like each of the children of the village and yet the whole complex would be of one specific character like all the orphaned children. the site plan was initially developed taking inspiration from the topography of the site, sylhet. the contours of sylhet ,ups and downs of the landscape inspired the free-flowing curved lines. visualizing them extruded up gave shape to the conceptual built forms. the building material considered for construction was available earth using the 5% composite rammed earth structure system. generally earth structures are always load-bearing in nature. but in this case as sylhet region has a high risk of earthquake steel pipes of 4” diameter were used as the structural system with thin ferro cement slabs as the roofs. another purpose of using slender steel pipes instead of concrete columns was to give the interior spaces a touch of a bamboo garden. the slender steel pipes are to be arranged in random slanted directions vertically so as to give the children a feeling that they are walking through a bamboo cluster or in a forest of bamboos. the reason bamboo is a part of the design is because the site itself and sylhet is abundant in different kinds of

bamboo.on the exterior facades bamboo has been used vertically in verandah or sitting ares so as to give a sense of security yet abundant air flow.the organic lines of the site are alternately built forms and the shaded walkways. major walkways of the complex have been shaded due to heavy rainfall insylhet. the walkways behave like pavilion-like s t r u c t u r e s i n s o m e p l a c e s .the individual built forms are developed such that each contour like form has virtually several circles or bubbles inside it and sometimes two or three circles together form a space enclosed with a wall or act like a n o p e n s p a c e .the built forms were developed three dimensionally by considering each bubble as a cylinder . the plan was further developed and furniture was designed along with structural details to enhance the design to its optimum limit. each building block looks same but when the plan is looked at deeply, each space is as individual as lively and full of life as the children.the final design resulted in sloped flat ferro cement roofs for water drainage. the landscape was also done keeping in mind the scale of the children’s perception. the walkways and fields were surrounded by small shrubs and wild flowers . the concept behind wild flowers was that they are as delicate and unique as the children at the village and always in a vulnerable situation. fruit plants and flowering trees were used in the landscape so the children's taste buds can develop. their appreciation of beauty and the outlook of life will develop if they see beautiful things of nature a r o u n d t h e m .landscaping of each area of the site has been done separately considering the surrounding activities. as a result not a single place all over the site acts as a n e g a t i v e s p a c e o r i s u n u s e d .

site: sylhet (northeast bengal), bangladeshduration: 14 weeks (january ‘08-17 april ‘08) supervisors:-dr. zainab f. ali (professor)[email protected] zabeen (sr. lecturer_ [email protected]

semester: 5th yr level ii (theses) client: sos kinderdorf international,austria

when most of us come to hear of sos kinderdorf international we imagine it to be as just an international organization with a line of orphanages around the world. it is a common mistake most people make when they first come to hear about sos kinderdorf. in reality it is a lot more than that. sos kinderdorf is an independent, non-governmental and social development organization, which has been active in the field of children's needs, concerns and rights since the year 1949. its activities focus on neglected and abandoned children and orphans and as well as d i s a d v a n t a g e d f a m i l i e s . the project “sos children's village” is the latest project to be executed in bangladesh. the present status of sos is that there are 5 children's villages with a sixth to be built. the aim of the organization is to build children's villages in the main areas of a country , and i n t h e s u b u r b s . the sos children's village in sylhet will be focusing mainly on the social center apart from the children's village, as it needs it for the locality. it will not be providing a school or a college as the area already has enough number of good colleges and primary schools in the vicinity. it will be accommodating a total of 120 children of different age groups in 12 family houses, along with an administrative block, residences for the director, assistant director, guests, and service staff, community house fields and other secondary requirements. the social center will have a clinic, day-care center for children of extremely poor families, a skill-training center, a community education program and family strengthening program.the site is exactly 5 acres in square area and has access to all sorts of services (electricity, water, gas, sewage, shopping m a r k e t s ) r e q u i r e d f o r t h e v i l l a g e .

sos children’s village- sylhet

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grade: A(96/100)

sos children’s village,sylhet

master plan

plansimages of final model

roof plan

panee phool_lindarria anagallis (scrophulariaceae)bokul_mimusops elengi (sapotaceae)amrul_oxalis corniculata (oxalidaceae)kodom_anthocephalus indigus (rubiaceae)koromchaa_carissa carandas (apocynaceae)kaakdumur_ficus hispida (moraceae)kumariyalota_derris marginata (legominosae)khurighaash_sclerostachya fuska (graminaeae)potpoti_ruellia tubrusa (acanthaceae) nol lota_thunbergia gradiflora (acanthaceae)nolrashna_arundina graminifolia (orchidaceae)pituli_trewia polycarpa (euphorbiaceae)tabebuea argenteabatabinebu_citrus grandis (rutaceae)bel_aegle marmelos (rutaceae)cassia fistulamagnolia grandiflorajasmine_ gardenia latifolia alamanda _ allamanda cathartica (hendersoni)kanchira, dholpata_commelina benghalensis

(commelinaceae)kanduli, kureli_murdannia nudiflora (commelinaceae)

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sos children’s village,sylhet

site section

section of a cluster of family houses

elevation of social centre

sectionselevations

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site: badda,dhaka, bangladeshduration: 6 weeks (october ‘07- november ‘07) supervisors:- dr. zainab f. ali (professor)[email protected] karim (visiting faculty)

semester: 5th yr level i

college of performing arts

efficiency. Another aspect it has is that it is double layered with an air gap which stops the heat from coming in.Solar panels have been proposed to be mounted on the roofs of each building to supply electricity during power failures which is a common problems in Bangladesh, due to insufficient power supply. also it can heat water during winter season in t h e d o r m i t o r i e s .The auditorium has been made specially sound proof by proposing to use state-of-the-art technology.The complex has abundant green spaces, including outdoor classes, with specific detailing done to every nook and corner of the landscape. each tree has been proposed according to their seasonal flowering time, the colours of the flower- applicable to all the herbs, shrubs , trees and vines. The theme in case of landscaping was to bring out contours or rather mounds in the landscape, fields and around the walkways so as to give a natural look. The trees are arranged in way that the whole complex can be seen blooming with flowers and colours ranging from white to yellow, then orange and finally red , with an underlying tone of green of the leaves.Each aspect of the built forms seem like damaged pieces of glass or concrete, giving a rugged natural look.each opening , be it a window or a door or a fixed glass bay window has no specific shape.they are derived from the specific façade and requirement of the view. each of the windows have been designed in a way that they can remain open and yet give protection from rain. there are louvers outside the building which protect the windows from direct sun and also give min imum pro tec t ion over the walkways.The structure has been solved through the use of one-way joist flooring system .steel pipes has been used in place of thick heavy columns so as to give the interior a n o p e n l o o k .

the college offers institutionalised education in music. it offers bachelor degree and masters degree in eastern music- vocal, instrumental and dance. the programs are north indian classical music , tagore , nazrul and folk songs, kathak and bharat natyam , and north indian classical with flute violin , sitar , sarod and e s r a j .the concept was “freedom from a life of super-imposed reality”. a lot of things we do in our everyday life is super-imposed- they are believed to be right. we never question ourselves why we do them or believe in them. it is not always true that if we take a new path it will always be wrong. if our motive it true to the heart then whatever new path we take will always lead to w h a t i s g o o d .Music is the heart of the soul. its is so pure that it is believed that to be specialized in music or related forms of art – such as dance , instrumental music, or e v e n a r t i t s e l f o n e c a n r e a c h g o d .Other than providing the necessary requirements of a performing arts college – sound proof classrooms, auditorium, administrative section, dormitories, etc a special requirement of the project was to make as environmentally sustainable as possible.also another challenge which I took up myself was to to use such materials which makes the building structurally unique, sound , visually appreciative, and extremely s u s t a i n a b l e . as a result of extensive study and research into sustainability I came up with the material “autoclaved aerated concrete” for the building material.this material is a bit costly , and has to be imported from abroad but the results it can give in case of sustainability were marvelous.not only can it protect the interior from gaining heat , also it can be dismantled and reused , which increases its usable

grade: A-

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plans

roof plan

plan development

master plan

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elevationssectionsimage of final modelperspectives

walkways

music classes

amphitheater

sectional perspective of academic block

sectional perspective of cafetaria

front elevation of auditorium

detail of fenestration

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site: bashundhara,dhaka, bangladeshduration: 8 weeks (january ‘07- march ‘07) supervisors:- rafiq azam (visiting faculty)-abu md. rahat niaz (lecturer)

semester: 4th yr level ii(group project-4 members task-in charge of drawings and design)

housing design

large-scale developer-built housing is a recent , but increasingly widespread phenomenon in the urban areas of Bangladesh. the problem of the developer built housing is closely tied to the economic condition of the users and their affordability. private initiatives of housings have been trying to address the middle-income group and the middle-middle class group. but the strategies remains in exploring the users economic conditions and their demand and needs.the housing was to be designed for mid-income group to l o w - i n c o m e g r o u p f a m i l i e s .the housing area has been divided into 3 zones- upper mid- income group, mid-income group, low-income group. for upper mid- income only 4 highrises have been designed, and incorporating about 20% accommodations for low-income group. for upper mid-income families, apartment sizes vary between 1130-1500sft,and for mi-income , 830sft-970sft.for low-income groups the range from 520-535sft.the concept was to set culturally acceptable social standards, socially sustainable approach, provide peripheral circulation, provide liveable yet cheap accomodation and to incorporate the mid-income and l o w - i n c o m e g r o u p s . of the total land area 60% land area=7.596 acres have been kept for open space and 40%=5.064 acres has b e e n k e p t f o r b u i l t a r e a .the design proposal other than the apartment , includes services such as -community halls, school, hospital/clinic,supershops, handicrafts shop, and v e n d o r s o n t h e p l a z a l e v e l .

client: anadadhara housing society grade: A-

site area: 12.66 acres=547200sft

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housing design

plandevelopment

master plan

1 2 3

plan of high rise

plan of mid-income apartments

development

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housing design

3d viewselevationimages of model

8 am in the morning view from west

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site:mohakhali,dhaka, bangladeshduration: 8 weeks (march ‘06-april ‘06) supervisors:-marina tabassum (visiting faculty)-md. hafizul hasan (lecturer)[email protected]

semester: 3rd yr level ii

mixed use development-highrise design

the form has been inspired by the popular toy "slinky spring".the floors rotate along the central axis from one s i n g l e p o i n t . the structural elements acts as the design element enhancing the beauty of the form itself.

grade: A site area:64938.457 sft

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mixed use development- highrise design

plansconceptual sketches

south-east elevation

section

elevationsection

conceptual sketches

plans

study models-development

final model

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site:dhanmondi,dhaka, bangladeshduration: 8 weeks (september ‘05-October ‘05) supervisors:-dr. fuad h. mallick-ehsan khan (visiting faculty)-hureira zabeen (sr. lecturer_ [email protected]

semester: 3rd yr level I


grade: A site area:3554.91 sft

Eldes t Daugh te r - in - law (35) - Housewi fe She manages the whole household and

takes turn alternately with her sister-in-law to do the cooking. At home she spends her evenings teaching her children. Her hobbies are listening to old songs, watching television serials e v e r y n i g h t a n d g a r d e n i n g .

Younges t Son (28) –Sof tware Eng ineer He loves to paint, read and playing

“SHARAD” .He enjoys cooking and often experiments in the kitchen with his eldest niece. He is very moody, that he does whatever he feels like whenever he wants. He is a very fun-loving sort of person but basically reserved.

Youngest Daughter-in-law (28)- Interior Designer She is also a very fun-loving sort of

person and always having fun and playing games with her nieces and nephew whenever she is at home. She loves to write, sing, read watch movies with her nephew and nieces. She cooks alternately with her elder sister-in-law.

Eldest Granddaughter (19)- Unemployed Her parents died about some 5 years

back .At that time she was staying with her paternal grandparents out of Dhaka. A year back her grandparents got her married and then she got an annulment withinfew months. her maternal grandparents then shifted her

to dhaka at their place. she is very attached to her younger uncle and aunt and her cousins. she stays home and helps manage the household with her eldest aunt. she loves to sing and have fun with her family members.

g r a n d s o n ( 1 4 ) - s c h o o l s t u d e n t he loves to paint and is very much into

sports. mostly he likes spending time with his grandparents and cousin. he often gets into fights with his younger sister. watching cartoons/movies, looking after his many pets and painting a r e h i s h o b b i e s .

youngest granddaughter (8)- school student she is the youngest in the whole family.

she learns to dance. mostly when at home, she spends time with the female members of the family and her grandfather. she likes looking after her pe ts a long w i th her b ro ther.

initially the concept was to play with squares an circles to create compositions for the plan. but finally these compositions led to playing with simple , solid, broken boxes and cylinders three dimensionally.the end result - basic composition of solid forms with simple punches.

the task was to create an imaginary extended family and then solve each members requirements.t h e f a m i l y m e m b e r s a r e a s f o l l o w s -project-1 (residence for an extended family)

fa the r (68 ) - re t i red government o f f i c ia l he likes watching sports with his

grandson. mostly he enjoys spending his time grandchildren. he likes reading books and i s very re l ig ious .

m o t h e r ( 6 0 ) - h o u s e w i f e nowadays she cooks only for her

grandchildren. that is whenever and whatever special food they demand from their grandmother. she enjoys watching television and old movies with her elder granddaughter; sewing, reading, spending time with her grandchildren are her hobbies. she is v e r y r e l i g i o u s . s h e i s a b i t claustrophobic which is why she always wants a big verandah in whichever house she lives so that in the afternoons she can sit with her armchair a n d e n j o y h e r t i m e .

e l d e s t s o n ( 3 8 ) - c h a r t e r e d a c c o u n t a n t he likes watching action movies. due to

his profession he remains very busy and even if he is at home he remains a lot of the time on the phone or works on the computer. so whenever he is free he likes watching movies with his children.

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plansconceptual sketcheselevationsection

conceptual sketches

plans

section elevation

final model

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site:gulshan 2,dhaka, bangladeshduration: 1 year (September ‘08-till date ) architect:-ar. nahas ahmed [email protected]

work experience

4 storey single family residence

site area:1107.2 sqm

the residence is being done at an old site-meaning the garage and servant’s quarter section of an old residence is being torn down to build the multi storey single unit residence for the client. the old house will then be put up for rent.the house will be lived in by the client(about 70 yrs),his wife(above 60) and his mother(above 90) and some helping hands .the plan has been solved in split level sections as there is not enough space to accommodate all the facilities i n o n e f l o o r .

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plansconceptual sketcheselevationsection

4 storey single family residence

plan

conceptual drawings

elevation section

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site: housing and building reasearch institute,mirpur, dhaka, bangladeshduration: 12 days(february ‘09 )supervisors:-anna heringer -director, BASE habitat(germany)-martin rauch-trainer(germany)

work experience

10 day hands-on workshop on “modern earthen structure & architecture”

the workshop was conducted by anna herringer and martin from germany.anna is an architect herself and has been working for the past few years in bangladesh in north bengal and was recently awarded the aga khan award for architecture.the aim was to by a 12’ x 12’ room which would act as the reception and information point for the different services of the hbri (housing and building research institute).the workshop was sponsored by - kunst universitat linz, institute of architects of bangladesh, and the hbri.i was a full-time participant at the workshop.

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10 day hands-on workshop on “modern earthen structure & architecture”

finished structureanna putting finishing touches

finishing the floor

checking the condition of the soil raw materiallaying the foundation ramming the layers together

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photography

photography is one of my many hobbies such as reading and making sketches of faces.each of the photographs represent a different mood of mine. I have tried to capture the essence of beauty in different situations around me. sometimes I find them while someone tenderly holds a wild flower, sometimes after a downpour when a tender exotic flower rests on the pavement, in the play of light on stored bamboo in a thatch hut, or in the facial profile of a near one.

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photography

a thing of beauty is a joy forever

still life, portraits,nature,light and shadow

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portfolio 4 web

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