Rachel Henkes
Bangladesh: A Community Resettlement
A group project designed in collaboration with: Tony Martinez and Eduardo Sanchez
Background: Bangladesh, a country in South Asia, faces the severe effects of climate change, including flooding, tornadoes, earthquakes, droughts, and cyclones. From these effects, riverbank erosion is the number one cause of displacement in Bangladesh, causing a large amount of the rural community, making up 63% of the population, to migrate every year from their agricultural livelihoods and into the urban slums. Currently rural areas have a lack of infrastructure for these disasters, including schools, that are generally overcrowded and often must close due to flooding. As the sea level continues to rise, it is predicted that by 2050, Bangladesh will lose 11% of its land. These impacts will only become more severe and there must be a solution to address the resiliency of the rural schools and communities in Bangladesh.
Narrative: Located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, the site sits along the Padma river, with the design proposal including a primary school, houses, and gardens. The idea is how can the buildings respond to the inevitable effects of climate change while addressing the needs of the drought and flood prone rural area. The buildings, while raised for immediate flooding, also use a barrel system that allows the ground floor to float on top of the water, with posts that keep the building in place during cases of severe flooding. The primary school can teach up to sixty students ages six to ten, while also acting as a flexible community space for adult and informal education, religious and cultural events, and as a shelter during cases of natural disasters. The school supplies electricity through photovoltaic panels to power technology devices and water harvesting tanks for access to clean water during drought periods.
Around the school are both the communal gardens and the residential homes. The residential is grouped into two housing units that share rainwater roof collection for showers, animals, and kitchen needs. Each unit is situated around their own courtyard, common to the local residential area. Both the school and residential utilize waste for composting that can later be used for the garden soil. In both cases of flooding and drought, the raised garden allows for plants and soil to be maintained for vegetation. Each building function works together to provide a sense of community that would allow people to feel safe and comfortable where they live.
