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DESIGN STATEMENT

RETRO-FIT

How would you socially distance yourself if space isn't there in the first place?

In light of COVID-19, cities have generally been the epicenters of the devastation. Dhaka is no exception for its importance as a socio-economic center of Bangladesh with a dense urban population. Our proposal seeks answers for questions never asked before to reimagine public spaces ina concentrated urban fabric of Old Dhaka.

After the arrival of the pandemic, the government of Bangladesh imposed lockdown across the country by the end of March. Soon, depression set in due to fear of the outbreak, increasingcases and deaths, economic crisis, social isolation, and a broken healthcare system.

This psychological stress has to be taken into account and we aim to seek aresolution considering multiple variables of this complex situation ina more complex urban setting of Shankhari Bazar. When we think of Old Dhaka, vibrant and happening streets are the dominant publicrealm there. We propose interventions in the settlements of Shankhari Bazar to create a collective ambience for the neighborhood.

Shankhari Bazar has a distinct quality, both architecturally and visually. Residents have a hamo-geneous character with a strong community sense. Our purpose is to strengthen this community solidarity to minimize the psychological impact of pandemics through design. Shankhari Bazar is a busy narrow street, most of the buildings have shops on the ground floor showcasing traditional crafts and materials. Social distancing is a cruel joke to these households and the public in general. So, the nature of a public space considering the whole pandemic situation in this context is crucial. We must rethink the definition of public space as we know it. Going beyond the norms of ownership, we should think of public space as an extension of private space.

Buildings here are three to four-storeyed mostly with enclosed verandas. Our proposal here is to retrofit these facades of each floor to fit a hanging balcony. It's a reflection of the old courtyard house concept, but outwards, facing the street. People can relax, linger here; and, share thoughts with neighbors without physically meeting ina place. This balcony is modular considering affordability and space availability. It has paneled railing to be painted and installed by the residents. It will be an exhibition of their crafts and enjoyable work indeed for women and children. Families can make modules of art installations and hang them from their balconywhich will make one large expression for the whole community. Thus, they will be isolated, yet connected through participation. This balcony could be used for relaxing, gardening, and participating in Holi Festivals post-pandemic times.

Furthermore, the streets will have textures to inspire social distancing. After lockdown, time schedules can be imposed. Business till evening, after that it would be a social hub for people.

In addition to that, we suggest developing a website which will primarily serve as a sharing plat-form for the community and become an online platform to showcase their traditional crafts.

We want to take advantage of this newslike event to reach people elsewhere and thus creating anew opportunity to conserve, showcase, and sell.

To sum up, our proposal suggests redefining public spaces being mindful of pandemic situations to enable the community to absorb shocks and recover fast, to achieve social resilience.