WEAVING SHARED REALITY: A Sustainable Living Model for Ready-Made Garments Workers, Bangladesh | Architecture Thesis on Social Housing

Site Context

The site selected for the intervention is located in the Bhulta neighbourhood in Dhaka. Bangladesh is a developing nation where the ready-made garment (RMG) industry accounts for about 77% of merchandise exports. Right behind China, they are the world’s second-biggest manufacturer of clothing. People seek employment in this sector of the economy from all over the nation. However, with a monthly salary of only 68 USD, they find it difficult to live an adequate life.

Their monthly expenses and cost of living are twice as high as those of other Dhaka residential areas like Gulshan or Dhanmondi. They and their family members have to work a second job to make ends meet and pay for extra expenses. Some examples of these jobs include sewing bed linens, tailoring, creating handicrafts, growing vegetables, or working as day labourers. That means that after spending ten to twelve hours on garments, they have to work for that job during their free time. Still, people don’t give them much thought.

Even while designing “Low-cost housing” for their community only the affordability aspect is considered. Neither is their secondary income source considered nor extra spaces for these jobs are incorporated with the living modules. People only see them as cheap labourers and limit their economic growth.

The only factor taken into account when designing “Low-cost housing” for their community is affordability. Their secondary source of income is not taken into consideration, nor are additional spaces for these jobs integrated into the living modules. They are unable to grow economically because people only view them as cheap labour.

Design Process

The goal of this project is to improve the lives of garment workers by bringing together landowners, garment owners, and the government. It focuses on three goals.

1- The majority of their 68 USD monthly salary is used for housing rent. Thus, they are required to have a second job. The project tackles the problem by giving them a home allowance that covers the rent for the apartments, and to help them make extra money, these apartments also include shared workspaces. By dividing up these work areas throughout the day, they can create goods like handicrafts or other items and sell them to nearby stores, which boosts their income.

2- Currently, the landowners construct the housing units and rent them to the labourers. By charging rent, they attempt to recover their investment. The landowners in this project would only lease their properties to garment owners. There would be no additional expenses for them. Thus, if they leased without making any additional investments, they would profit twice as much. 

3- The workers would have access to shared workspaces and comfortable housing as part of the home allowance offered by the garment owners. It would build a positive rapport between them and the employees and lessen their pressure to raise the annual pay scale. In addition to increasing productivity, the owners would be able to guarantee the physical and mental well-being of their staff.  The owners can easily repay the house loans within ten years and make twice as much profit as they did before due to this home allowance plan.

It is impossible to deny the contribution of these neglected garment workers to Bangladesh’s GDP growth. To improve and ensure the sustainability of the apparel industry, people must consider a better future for the workers.

Final Outcome

The final outcome includes amenities like housing, communal workspaces, shops, a health centre, a training centre, a mosque or temple, and revitalised water features. Based on the type of occupancy, four different types of units are combined with shared and service areas for four distinct groups. The design is centred around shared service, enabling units to be arranged around it to create common space for economic purposes.

The modules had to be divided into a 3-foot module grid with unit forms that were roughly 12 feet by 12 feet in order to lower the cost of construction. Due to the need for extensive storage space during the pandemic, two levels of space were added to a single unit. Common spaces are created between two units that can be utilised for various purposes. To facilitate ease of construction, the floor is also regarded as a module. Owing to material availability, CI sheet is used to make panels for walls, windows, and doors. 

Shops and workspaces are critical components of this economic model. Small details, like the way they operate their stores, have been taken into account in the design. Spaces can be modified with the addition of modules to create a larger shop.

In villages, cluster planning creates an axis connecting each home, facilitating convenient circulation. From this perspective, the vertical connections in this project are designed as well in the same way as they are in their native village. Spine Road is the site of major activity, with shops and dwellings connecting to the roads and creating multilayer connections. The economic zone is home to a variety of shops that are connected to the units above. 

The alleys open into the courtyard, creating a connection between the living units, vegetable gardens, and workspace. The open areas serve as both a community gathering place and a playground for children. From the court, one can see the activities happening in the workspaces. In doing so, the project not only designs the housing units, but also gives equal emphasis on the spaces between the houses as catalysts for multiple social activities.

Conclusion: The project serves as a sustainable housing model for the garment workers community, while maintaining their rural lifestyle and culture, and also incorporates concepts for them to make additional money with the designated areas. The project also includes landowners and clothing manufacturers so that they can work together for the benefit of their mutual dependence and the workers. 

[This Academic Project has been published with text submitted by the student]