Excerpt: South Valley Country House is a residential project designed by the architectural firm Sthapotik. The project aimed to create a responsible architecture for its dwellers and, at the same time, connect them with the neighbouring community in a commercially developed project. The structure has been pushed back regarding the corner to provide relief for the neighbourhood. Instead of isolating the project by a solid boundary wall, the small urban green space on the ground tries to break the monotonous street view and encourage passers to sit and rest.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by Architect] High-rise apartments are at an incredible pace due to the increasing demand for housing in Dhaka City. However, very few are sensitively designed with proper functional distribution, optimum ventilation, light, and green area. Moreover, lack of security resulted in isolated boxes with minor communication with the neighbourhood.
The project is situated in the Bansundhara Residential area consisting of sixteen apartments and an area of 3610sqm. Each floor contains two apartments with wide lobby space. It is a commercially developed project by Country House BD, the real estate company. The project aimed to create a responsible architecture for its dwellers and, at the same time, connect them with the neighbouring community in a commercially developed project.
The project is located on the corner plot. The structure has been pushed back regarding the corner to provide relief for the neighbourhood. Instead of isolating the project by a solid boundary wall, the small urban green space on the ground tries to break the monotonous street view and encourage passers to sit and rest. For parking convenience, the apartment is approached from a 60 feet wide road. The south façade has been treated as the source of life for the project. Green terraces are incorporated on the first floor to create their own breathing space. The green terraces encourage its residents to interact with the neighbourhood.
The majority of the bedrooms have been flooded with natural light and wind. The common areas are as vibrant as the natural light penetrates the space throughout the years. The project’s biggest appeal is its wide and large verandas with gardens. These verandas add layers to the front of private spaces while providing shade from rain. Two apartments are separated by a void on the south side, which provides them with plenty of natural light and wind. Because of its location next to the void, the large lift lobby is always brightly lit.
A simple post-lintel structural system has been adopted for its convenience for constructing wider spans. The combination of red brick, fair face concrete, and transparent glass on the windows create a pleasant, harmonic relationship to its neighbourhood. The weaving detail on the brick connects the project with heritage yet appears as a contemporary structure.
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