Interlacing Epoch: Rethinking Tomorrow's KDA Newmarket Area

Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology

Project idea

KDA Newmarket is the most iconic and tradition market of Khulna. I am personally connected to this place. Recently this market is dying as a market place and can be destroyed in near future. This project aims to rejuvenate the KDA Newmarket in Khulna city by preserving its traditional exterior while modernizing its interior to meet contemporary needs.

Project description

The traditional markets of our country have their own culture and morphology, but with the flow of time now they are failing to serve the needs of their customers. As a result, people are choosing other alternatives and these markets are dying. These markers are falling behind as commercial zones, but they have traditional value. They act as a landmark and represent the shopping culture of that time. My project is“ Interlacing Epoch: Rethinking Tomorrow’s KDA Newmarket area” This market was established in 1960 and was the first proper market in Khulna city. This market is located in a vital commercial zone, and it acts as an important node. But due to various reasons, the situation has changed. The market is now popular as an Urban gathering space and recreational zone, but it falls behind as a shopping zone. It is turning into a dead market and eventually buyer and seller both are losing interest here which is a thread from the economical perspective. To solve this issue, there is a proposal from KDA (Khulna Development Authority) to destroy this traditional market and build a modern shopping mall. In my thesis project, I tried to solve this problem from a sensible perspective. Serving the needs while preserving the tradition. I tried to interlace two different Epochs. One has the Tradition and the other has the needs of modern period. In order to preserve the traditional value the exterior of the old Newmarket is kept unchanged but the interior has been slightly changed while keeping the old structure. The new portion is connected through a plaza that connects all the important nodes to create an inviting atmosphere which will allow the normal people to use the market as a daily part of their life. It can be a short cut or a resting place or simply a location as a gathering space. As more people are attracted more economy will be generated and this way the market can be saved while preserving the tradition.

Technical information

Site Location: KDA Newmarket, Khulna, Bangladesh
Site Area: 7.56 Acre
Old market Established: 1960