Teknaf Riverport and Passenger Terminal

Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology

Project idea

Teknaf port is one of the major ports in Bangladesh. This proposed project is designed for communicating with Myanmar and the nearby islands, like Saint Martin. Situated on 24 acres of land on the bank of the Naaf River at the southernmost point of Bangladesh, this is a port for the transition of goods and passengers between our country Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Project description

An average of 1500 passengers and 15-20 ships need to pass through this point every day but it was not organized in a systematic way. Moreover, Myanmar is connected with Bangladesh by road, which is 95km and a long distance whereas by waterway it is more cost-effective and easy to go.

On the other hand, in every season Saint Martin which is one of the most attractive tourist places in our country attracts a lot of tourists. In the present time, tourists have to use a broken jetty which is dangerous. So if they get a beautiful water port with every facility, it’s very easy to attract more international tourists.
As it stands, in 2007 this port handled almost 78,000 metric tons of cargo, with the same being about 155,000 tons in 2008 – a staggering 199 percent growth in cargo handling capacity and capabilities within the span of a year. Everything from timber, fish, rice, grams, pickles, and spices imported from Myanmar and cement, garments, jewelry, aluminum products, animal by-products, and pharmaceuticals exported from Bangladesh.

For designing a river port, the most difficult challenge is to resolve the circulation efficiency to maneuver the cross-border traffic and cargo. So, the main consideration was to solve the circulation with a separate lane and separate jetty and pontoon.

In the design proposal buses, ships, and cargo ships are handled separately via individual terminals and entry exit points. It is also fundamental to incorporate the passive and active security features necessary to prevent all types of illegal entries through the port. However, instead of creating a “fortress,” the proposal rather imparts confidence and respect by welcoming travelers entering Bangladesh without compromising necessary inspections and security issues. The lofty space and open layout of the terminal building make it easy for visual surveillance and crowd management.
The site of this project is 24 acres, On the west side the mighty Chadarkilla hill gives the project a beautiful backdrop. The adjacent Naaf river is the key factor of this project that meets with the Bay of Bengal and the main communication is through this river.

This river port includes domestic departure and arrival concourse as well as international departure and arrival concourse. It also has restaurants, duty-free shops, a port and BLPA office, a customs office, an Open stack yard for containers, preservation shade, immigration and customs for cargo and passenger section, and recreational facilities like a food court, shopping area, library water taxi, etc.
The concept of designing the project was to make this water terminal a landmark that would represent our country. For such a landmark project it is necessary to be more exciting rather than a simple building.
I designed the form of the project from the Hill Chandarkilla. The change of angle of vision is a must for a more interesting experience. People will be able to excite their vision as they feel the change of it when they move through it.

Technical information

The Terminal building is a composition of architecture characterized by the integration of sophisticated structural elements that prominently feature steel tree columns and a meticulously designed truss structure. The innovative framework of the warehouse not only ensures structural integrity but also contributes to the overall aesthetic appeal.
A combination of advanced materials was used to achieve both durability and aesthetic refinement in the roofing system. More specifically, high-quality polycarbonated aluminum sheets were fabricated together to form this roof known for exceptional strength and weather-resistant properties. To enhance visual elegance, reinforced glass elements were strategically incorporated along with providing transparency and natural light within interior spaces.