Dissertations/Theses - Department of Architecture
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Item Living condition in the Rohingya settlement camp in Kuthupalong at Ukhiyacox's Bazar(Department of Architecture, BUET, 2025-01-25) Jahidul Islam; Gomes, Dr. Catherine DaisyThe Kutupalong Rohingya settlement camp, situated in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, is one of the largest and most densely populated refugee camps in the world. Established to provide temporary refuge for the Rohingya community fleeing persecution in Myanmar, the camp currently shelters approximately 1,003,394 refugees who arrived during a significant influx beginning in August 2017 (UNHCR, 2024). The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group, have sought safety and the opportunity to rebuild their lives in 34 makeshift camps within the Kutupalong area (Mohajan H. K, 2018). These camps are characterized by overcrowded living conditions, limited resources, and significant challenges related to shelter, sanitation, healthcare, and food security. This thesis investigates the living conditions of Rohingya refugees in Kutupalong, focusing on the spatial organization of shelters and the socio-cultural factors shaping their arrangements. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines qualitative interviews with Rohingya families and community leaders and quantitative mapping techniques to analyze shelter layouts and their significance. This integrated methodology provides a comprehensive understanding of how the Rohingya adapt to their environment and navigate displacement challenges. The findings reveal that shelter layouts in Kutupalong are deeply influenced by cultural practices, social relationships, and shared values. The spatial organization reflects the community’s traditions, such as extended family structures, communal living, and gender-based privacy norms. These arrangements help maintain a sense of identity, belonging, and mutual support despite harsh conditions. Additionally, the research highlights adaptive strategies employed by families, including modifications like bamboo partitions, tarpaulin sheets, and elevated flooring to enhance privacy, create communal spaces, and protect against environmental challenges such as monsoons and extreme heat. By exploring the interplay between culture and spatial organization, this thesis underscores the importance of integrating cultural contexts into humanitarian responses. It advocates for culturally informed approaches to designing interventions, ensuring they are effective and sensitive to the needs of displaced communities. The insights gained have significant implications for humanitarian agencies and policymakers, emphasizing the need to move beyond standardized solutions and prioritize the unique socio-cultural dynamics of refugees. Ultimately, this research celebrates the resilience and adaptability of the Rohingya community while offering valuable lessons for addressing displacement crises worldwide. It highlights the importance of dignity, hope, and culturally sensitive support in rebuilding the lives of displaced populations.Item Daylighting and energy use intensity-driven façade design optimization for office buildings in the context of Dhaka(Department of Architecture, BUET, 2025-01-20) Kundu, Gourab; Ashikur Rahman Joarder, Dr. Md.Bangladesh's rising energy demand and the need for sustainable built environments have made green building designs increasingly popular. However, the growing trend of practicing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified green buildings in Bangladesh primarily focuses on using energy-efficient equipment. In Dhaka, many office buildings feature fully glazed façades, which minimize the need for artificial lighting but cause excessive daylight penetration, resulting in glare, solar heat gain, and increased energy consumption for cooling. Optimizing architectural parameters during the design phase can significantly lower energy consumption. The building envelope plays a key role in energy regulation, with its design significantly impacting heat gain and loss. In warm and humid areas, i.e., Dhaka, reducing the window-to-wall ratio (WWR) can help minimize solar heat gain but may also increase the need for artificial lighting. To counteract heat gain through large openings, the use of shading devices is essential. However, improper shading can reduce daylight availability, so careful design of façade parameters for each orientation is necessary to ensure adequate daylight while avoiding increased energy consumption. Therefore, there is a need for optimization strategies that identify the appropriate parameters for façade design elements, ensuring a proper balance among various building performance metrics, such as daylight, energy use, visual comfort, and thermal comfort. This research aims to optimize façade parameters (WWR ratio and horizontal shading depth) in Dhaka's office buildings to enhance daylight, ensure visual comfort, and reduce energy consumption. The study employed quantitative, computational, and analytical techniques and followed a four-step framework. The study began with an extensive literature review to identify key façade predictors. In the second phase, Rhino and Grasshopper were used to create a parametric test model for daylight and energy simulations. The models were then merged and analyzed in ClimateStudio and Octopus with genetic algorithms for optimization. Finally, the results were statistically evaluated through scatterplot analysis, which highlighted the trade-offs between daylighting and energy efficiency. A frequency distribution of façade design variables in Pareto-optimal solutions was conducted to identify effective value ranges for crucial façade design parameters. This analysis ultimately led to a sensitivity assessment of these parameters to ensure optimal performance. To visually analyze the optimum solutions, the Design Explorer was utilized effectively. The research identified optimized façade solutions achieving sDA300/50% values over 90%, ASE1000, 250h below 10% and an average EUI of 256.66 kWh/(m²y). Increasing the WWR on north and south façades enhances daylight, while reducing it on east and west façades controls solar exposure and lowers EUI. The study highlights that deeper shading on south, east, and west façades further decreases EUI. An ideal façade design includes high WWR on the north (80-100%), moderate to high WWR with deep shading on the south (51-100%), and low WWR with deep shading on the east and west (11-30%). This balanced approach optimizes daylight quality, solar control, and energy efficiency, showcasing a multi-objective optimization method that supports architects in making informed early design decisions. The potential for net-zero buildings may exist if other factors are further explored.Item Exploring inclusive design criteria for the vision impaired students in Dhaka university campus(Department of Architecture, BUET, 2024-10) Khan, Zareen Jahan; Khan, Dr. NaymaEnsuring accessibility and spatial planning in educational institutions is vital for students with vision impairments. Research indicates the challenges these students face on campus and the importance of inclusive design solutions. This study focuses on establishing inclusive design criteria for creating accessible university campuses, using Dhaka University as a case study. It examines the routes from residential halls to academic buildings for residential students with visual impairments. The research approach included a thorough field survey to identify barriers along the selected routes. Subsequently, a behavior observation was conducted and a close-ended questionnaire was administered with a five-point Likert scale. Through the behavior observations, the study identified navigation challenges faced by visually impaired students. The questionnaire survey provided valuable feedback on personal orientation and mobility skills, utilization of non-visual senses during navigation, as well as the physical, informational, and cognitive barriers encountered within the campus. Later a correlation analysis was conducted to comprehend the influence of these factors on navigation challenges. Additionally, from focus group discussion, specific qualitative feedback on barriers, the use of non-visual senses, and the effectiveness of assistance were gathers. Furthermore, participants shared potential interventions to address the barriers they encounter on the Dhaka University campus. Based on the research findings, several key barriers were identified that impact participants, particularly concerning parking, building entrances, and physical obstructions along pathways termed as physical barriers. These findings provide valuable insights that can guide us in addressing these challenges to create a more accessible environment for all students. It's important to consider the impact of these barriers, especially on female students, and to work towards implementing solutions that will enhance accessibility and improve the overall experience for everyone. Additionally, the research highlights the significance of non-visual signage and path layout in addressing information and cognitive barriers, offering us opportunities to make meaningful improvements in these areas. Later a set of inclusive design guidelines are proposed in the selected site of Dhaka University campus. It will help architects, designers and planners for further designing and planning an inclusive campus . Finally, The research outcome will support to achieve sustainable goal-4 by ensuring inclusive and equitable quality higher education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for visually impaired students.Item Study on the role of internal open spaces for student’s informal interaction in vertical university campus(Department of Architecture, BUET, 2023-03-28) Swagota Rownak, Khandoker.; Nilufar, Dr. FaridaSocial interaction among university students is a primary factor in their learning for higher education. In highrise vertical universities, the provision for designing any social space within a building complex is quite challenging. Due to land constraints & other financial factors, the private institutions construct a compact & introverted kind of highrise building where educational facilities are accommodated. Architects are found to design internal open spaces in the form of a central or linear-shaped plaza, surrounded by building blocks in the university campus. These open spaces have the potential to act as social spaces in this compact built environment. This research tries to find the spatial and design aspects of this internal open space to accommodate students' informal interaction. This research identified the campus activities of university students that are social interactions in learning scenarios through a literature review. These activities are explored in two case studies through student interviews and observation. The spatial values of internal open spaces are identified by measuring accessibility and visibility using space syntax. The correlation method revealed the relation of occurrence of interaction with the spatial values of the parts of the internal open space in these case studies. Findings show that, although having different morphological characteristics, the internal open space in both case studies plays a significant role in accommodating students’ informal interactions. The internal open space in both cases is spatially more integrated than other spaces in the total building system. The study also revealed, that in vertical university campuses, additional social space is needed for upper-floor students. The other findings from this research suggest few design guidelines for accommodating large or small group interaction and static or moving interaction in the internal open space.Item Neighborhood built environment's effect on children's accessibility to parks in Dhaka city(Department of Architecture, BUET, 2024-09-09) Ratree, Sabrina Mehjabeen; Islam, Dr. Mohammed ZakiulChildren play if their surrounding environment is designed appropriately. In this regard, different formal and informal play spaces were invented, such as playgrounds, parks, sidewalks, etc. Once, roads were active spaces for children's playing and socializing. With the introduction of motorized vehicles in the public realm of cities, children gradually lost their safe play spaces. According to research findings, children 8-14 years of age predominantly suffer in urban areas for accessing play spaces. Dhaka is a developing city with a rapid growth of population. According to the 2022 census, the recent population is about 22,478,000, where 40% are children. Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation have undergone various projects such as 'Jol Shobuje Dhaka' for the modernization, redevelopment, and greening of open space for children in planned and unplanned areas since 2016. After a redesign project, 49 parks and playgrounds from City Corporations are already open to the public. However, it's unclear if children are appropriately utilizing them. Limited research has been done previously on the accessibility of parks by users of Dhaka before the current revitalization of parks and playgrounds. However, the effect of the neighborhood's built environment within the buffer zone of a specific park on children's accessibility has not been studied. This research aims to study children's accessibility to neighborhood parks in Dhaka City Corporations and identify different variables of the built environment that affect children's active participation in urban parks. The study was conducted among ten neighborhood parks from both City Corporations where children from 8-14 years of age, accessibility to parks was observed within the 400m buffer and in the immediate surroundings of a park through systematic direct observation method and statistical analysis. From both qualitative and quantitative analysis, it was evident that specific built environment elements significantly affect children's accessibility to parks. Moreover, socio-demographic states and distinct park characteristics also affect children's use of neighborhood parks. A bivariate correlation analysis shows that park accessibility by children on weekdays is associated with neighborhood built environment variables (i.e., road intersection number in park buffer and traffic density in the immediate surroundings of the parks). The clustering method indicates that several built environment variables affect children's accessibility to parks, such as road pattern, road width, footpath width, footpath condition, dwelling unit density, and average building height. Land use entropy, such as residential, commercial, and mixed-use, is also associated with children's accessibility to parks. Park characteristics such as park size and the number of park features were related to children's average number in parks. Socio-demographic states, such as the neighborhood's literacy rate, also affect children's use of parks. Keywords: Accessibility, children, neighborhood park, built environment, play space, Dhaka.Item Assessment of speech intelligibility in university lecture rooms(Department of Architecture, BUET, 2024-06-25) Tanzin, Farha; Imam, Dr. Sheikh Muhammad NajmulSpeaking and listening are the primary modes of communication at educational institutions. The learning process requires intensive verbal communication between students and teachers; as well as among students. Students spend from 45% to 75% of their time in the lecture room listening to their teachers and classmates. So, intelligibility of spoken words is obviously very important for successful learning environment. Learning process becomes slower in educational environments that have consequently impaired speech intelligibility. Researches carried out globally show that acoustical performance is one of the major problems in educational institutions especially in universities. These indicate to a number of problems associated with acoustical performance, while unsatisfactory speech intelligibility is one of them. In Bangladesh, higher education scenario has been transformed rapidly with growing number of new academic buildings. Based on published documents, no study has been carried out till now to determine the acoustical performance of these universities. This research aimed to evaluate the existing speech intelligibility condition in university lecture rooms conducting lectures in Bangla. Previous researches have established that compared to English, Bangla requires more stringent conditions for speech intelligibility. The research follows quantitative approaches; comprising of experiment, computational and analytic methods. For the convenience of conducting the research in terms of accessibility and scale, universities of Gazipur district have been selected for the study. Quantitative data are collected from three universities, namely Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Digital University (BSMRDU). 10 types of lecture rooms of DUET, BSMRAU and BSMRDU are selected after sampling procedure to collect quantitative data. Data collection is carried out under 4 different listening conditions. These are condition 1: fan on, window and door open; condition 2: fan on, window and door closed; condition 3: fan off, window and door open; and condition 4: fan off, window and door closed. The results show that Percentage Syllable Articulation (PSA) values, that is determining factor to evaluate speech intelligibility, remain below 75% under all listening conditions. This implies that all the listening conditions have an unsatisfactory level of speech intelligibility. Results also show that long Reverberation Time, high Background Noise Level, low Sound Pressure Level and low Signal to Noise Ratio have combined effect on speech intelligibility. Due to the combined effect of those factors, average PSA values are 26.82%, 23.93%, 36.02%, and 32.24%, for condition 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The findings of this study will help as design and redesign guidelines for acoustics for educational buildings in Bangladesh or other places, where Bangla-language communication takes place. The results will also raise awareness among relevant design and client groups about the acoustical concerns of educational buildings and motivate future design initiatives. Keywords: Acoustical performance, speech intelligibility, university lecture room, Bangla language.Item Evaluating urban morphology of Narayanganj VIS-A-VIS inland port cities in the tropics(Department of Architecture (Arch), BUET, 2022-09-28) Gupta, Bijoy Dash; Podder, Dr. Apurba KumarThis research examines the intricate morphological dynamics that define the relationship between the port and urban core of Narayanganj, a distinguished inland port in Bangladesh with a storied history spanning over two centuries. Known as the "Dundee of the East," Narayanganj played a pivotal role in the transportation of abundant agricultural resources to Calcutta and England, underscoring its historical significance as a critical gateway. The primary objective of this study is to comprehensively examine and analyze the nuanced interplay between the port and urban core of Narayanganj, drawing comparisons with selected tropical inland port cities such as Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, and Yangon. To achieve this goal, the research employs a multifaceted approach, combining archival investigation and syntactic analysis to unveil the morphological transformations within Narayanganj. The meticulous examination of historical records, reports, and maps serves to determine the original location of the city core and port, forming the foundational basis for subsequent analyses. A detailed depth map analysis is conducted specifically for Narayanganj, while syntactic analysis is extended to the highway street grids (foreground network) of other sample cities. The analysis is bifurcated into two distinct categories: one that excludes the river and another that considers the river as a street, thereby elucidating the river's impact within the street grid for inland port cities. A comprehensive assessment of land cover and land use information across the selected cities is performed using a star diagram. The results of the morphological analysis are systematically compared through a matrix, providing a nuanced understanding and evaluation of cities in terms of their morphological attributes. A significant contribution of this study lies in establishing a critical range for the geometric distance of 6 to 9 km between the core and port, a revelation with important implications for future physical planning for flourishing inland port cities. The detailed depth map analysis of Narayanganj unveils the global integration core situated in the Chittagong Road bus station area, corroborated by analogous results from foreground network analysis. In the broader context of overall integration, two cores are identified, with discernible northward growth apparent from chronological syntactic analysis. The research places a particular emphasis on the city core-river relationship, pinpointing the Chittagong Road bus stand area as the global integration core, where the river significantly influences the city's connectivity network. Comparative analysis with other selected cases underscores the importance of core-port proximity for Narayanganj. The study identifies Narayanganj's advantageous geometric distance as holding the potential to evolve into a thriving inland port city. This realization prompts a call for strategic enhancements to the core-port relationship through the development of road-based connectivity networks around port-related facilities. Leveraging Narayanganj's unique canal system emerges as a strategic proposition for integrated core-port relationships, especially perpendicular to the river. The findings of this study i.e. core-port conflict, northward growth, spongy character of the city and above all the glory of an inland port city extend beyond a mere examination of morphological characteristics; they hold profound implications for understanding the growth dynamics Narayanganj. Urban planners, architects, development partners, government officials, and academics stand to gain valuable insights from the nuanced findings of this research, which provide a solid foundation for informed decision-making and future endeavors in urban development and planning of inland port cities in a tropical context.Item Study on the relationship between childcare centres' physical environment and children's competency(Department of Architecture, BUET, 2024-03-12) Ibrahim Badhan, Md.; Islam, Dr. Mohammed ZakiulIn Bangladesh, the number of working parents is now higher than ever. In the current scenario, parents increasingly engage in different workplaces due to economic challenges, with a notable rise in mothers' participation. Additionally, there is a growing preference among parents for nuclear families in urban areas. This situation has diminished interaction and adequate quality time among children, parents, and other family members, particularly elders. Studies have shown that the absence of parents, especially the mother, can negatively affect children's social and emotional development. Consequently, parents are increasingly relying on child-care centres to take care of their children during their absence, particularly in cities. This situation has increased the importance of the childcare centre’s quality. Prior studies show the importance of the quality of child care centres on children’s development. This study investigates the relationship between childcare centres' physical environment and the competency development of preschool-aged children in Bangladesh. Given the scarcity of research on this subject in Bangladesh, this study addresses the gap by introducing a rating scale tailored to the local context to evaluate the physical environment of childcare centres in Bangladesh. This study employs a two-phase methodology. Initially, the physical environment of 12 childcare centres was evaluated using Lorraine E. Maxwell's rating scale. This scale assesses various physical aspects such as control, privacy, complexity, exploration, restoration, personalization, and legibility. In the second phase, the competency development of 28 children from three selected childcare centres was measured. These centres were identified as Centre D04, which achieved the highest score of 59 points, L08 securing a middle score of 41 points, and T02 obtaining the lowest score with a total of 12 points. The competency developments were evaluated using the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children. The evaluation of the entire childcare centres took place between August 1st and August 22nd. The findings reveal a significant positive relationship between the physical environment of childcare centres and children's competency. Statistical analyses, including one-to-one correlation between the physical environment of the centres & Total children’s Competency are 0.765. , T test results of three centres’ are 0.005, 0.001 and 0.004, consistently demonstrating a significant relationship across all sections analysed. The study revealed that, overall the performance of the childcare centres assessed is poor, with an average score of 42 out of 72. Many of these centres lack personalization and private areas, while also experiencing space shortages. However, these challenges could be addressed through effective Space Orientation and Functional Arrangement strategies. Insufficient equipment in the spaces negatively impacts children's development, highlighting the importance of having appropriate resources. Additionally, the Children-to-Space Ratio holds significance in ensuring optimal childcare environments. The findings of this study underscore the importance of the physical environment in shaping children's competence within childcare settings.Item Study of visibility in creating socially interactive spaces in contemporary high-rise apartment building complex in Dhaka.(Department of Architecture, BUET, 2023-05-21) Nushrat-E- Hoque; Catherine Daisy Gomes, Dr.Changes in housing context, social structure and advancing technology, over the time, have brought a dramatic change in the social context of Dhaka. The close-knit conservative society of the pre-colonial period changed its character to a more formal one during the colonial period, where social status ruled. The lack of options for physical expansion and shortage of developed urban land made contemporary apartments a prevalent choice among the affluent section of the urban population. These affluent but socially varied communities belonging from wide ranging socio-cultural backgrounds faced social awkwardness in absence of social interaction. They are less likely to socially interact among themselves, compared to their counterparts living in the traditional and spontaneously grown neighbourhood. The urban society in Dhaka City has gone through a rapid transitory phase, where the people of early mohoIlabased societies were more interdependent on each other. This form of interdependency often acted as a social control to maintain the social Integrity. The traditional urban settlements had semi-public and private area in the form of a courtyard; a place for social interactions. These courtyards have been replaced by common corridors in contemporary apartments, which serve as a space for occasional interaction among inhabitants. Besides the shared spaces, high-rise apartments in Dhaka also have a minimum of 10% of the total floor area dedicated as community space as per the Building Construction Rule 1996. However, many apartments are exempted from this rule. Many architects, being aware of this problem of non-existence or inadequate shared spaces, have come up with different design solutions in the form of courtyards, swimming pools, multipurpose halls etc., to generate social interaction within the apartment building. There is a lack of evaluation of how the social spaces perform from the user’s perspective, initiating social interaction among the residents. Visibility of these social spaces, which is the ability of residents to observe the shared space in one's environment, is an important factor affecting social interaction. Thus, the study aims to establish a relationship between space and visibility that can positively correlate in upgrading social interactions. Three housing complexes, each having at least 150 families as occupants were assessed to find the qualitative aspects of social interaction in the shared spaces. Visibility Graph Analysis (VGA) with depth map program along with the occupant’s interview and observation-based survey was conducted to estimate values of locations that have the maximum visual integration in a spatial configuration. Study leads to findings that the apartments those have courtyard or open spaces encourages better social interaction due to better visual integration. Moreover, influence of other factors such as having circulation areas within the apartments are also found to enhance social interaction if visually connected. The outcome of the study can also be considered as a documentation of guidelines established in the process may help future studies in this field.Item