River Life Museum

Project idea

A riverine country, Bangladesh holds about 700 rivers including flow through the country covering a total length of around 24,140 km. Therefore, rivers and the daily lives of the people of the land are deeply intertwined. Trade, commerce, spread of civilization, religion, music, literature; art and culture have all been influenced by the waterways of Bengal. Today with various other means of transport, people being less dependent on the water channels are gradually forgetting their tie with these rivers. Gradually through the misuse and negligence the riverine network has been badly affected, with many changing their courses, some dying off and others being badly polluted. This project has been initiated to make people recall the relationship between life and rivers, thus make people aware of the adverse condition of the water network. Once aware,citizens can work toward the revival of the nearly lost assets. It is also a project celebrating and reflecting the river life of Bangladesh. Last, but not the least as a public realm for the people of Barishal and others coming to visit the town.

Project description

Bangladesh is a country of natural beauty and blessed with natural resources including very favorable livable climate. It is the country with world's longest sea beach, largest Mangrove forest, formed as world's largest delta by hundreds of rivers and their tributaries. Simultaneously, it is the country which is very much exposed to natural calamities. Overpopulation and unplanned development having major contribution towards the destruction of natural beauty and inviting frequent natural disasters to this poor developing country. Urban sprawl has caused the death of many rivers and extinction of forests without any concern for preserving existing ecosystem and implementing sustainable architecture. Bangladesh is known as a riverine country and the sources of all natural beauties are these rivers. In this thesis, I intend to focus on such architecture that respects the nature, establishes visual and physical communication with nature and reinforces the natural beauty of rivers instead of erecting prototype urban architecture adjacent to rivers.

The banks of the river KIRTANKHOLA was proposed for certain reasons which are as follows.
- Before around the 1780s the river Kirtankhola was the most important river of
Bangladesh, before it had joined the Padma River,
-The BARISAL Town on its West bank of river Kirtankhola.
-She has main contribution in Development of core urban area of BARISAL .
- Barisal along its west bank. It is a unique context where even today a
river and the main town coexist side by side.

Technical information

The major functions and spatial zoning, design from research and survey analysis are listed below to have a understanding in and out of the whole complex.

. Exhibition space
. Temporary Gallery
. Administration
. Multipurpose Hall
. Library
. Research Center
. Recreational space

Spatial Zoning :

01. Office Building
02. Open Multipurpose Space
03. Museum
04. Outdoor exhibition
05. Fisher man chor
06. Bede chor
07. Boat man gallery
08. Seasonal experience space tree court
09. Amphitheater
10. Interaction Ghat
11. Water court (Shewla Pond)
12. Water court (Lily Pond)
13. Seasonal experience space water ground
14. Boat making space
15. Boat resing deck
16. Bede activity space
17. Net making space
18. Bede deck
19. Fishing deck
20. River observatory