Purbachal Center of Culture and Arts (PCCA)

Project idea

The brief of this project was to create a cohesive URBAN AMENITY HUB at the site of Purbachal in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We were able to select which category the overall structure would focus on between residential cum commercial, cultural, or recreation. I chose to focus on a cultural aspect as the presence of a cultural hub was missing in the area. Hence, there was a significant need for a cultural institution, especially in a country where the rich culture is very close to people's hearts. The main objective therefore was to create a cultural learning center that would provide a variety of different workshops and classrooms for educational purposes while also consisting of a vast exhibition and art gallery for general visitors to spend their leisure time. There is also a significant focus on several public spaces both at the ground level and also at different levels allowing visitors to be able to observe the infrastructure and public spaces from different locations.

Project description

If we experience the project from the eyes of a visitor we will be able to perceive the following functions. At the start depending on whether you are using a motor vehicle for personal transport or deciding to visit the centre by foot, there is a driveway towards the northwest side of the structure that allows access to the ramps leading to the basement parking after dropping off passengers who will be met with the vast lobby area with a reception and ramp leading up to the exhibition space of the Northern building. As for on-foot pedestrians, there is access to the south which is designed as a botany garden leading to either the multipurpose hall or the exhibition hall on either side, but continuing through the botany garden will lead into the central sunken space which the public hub of the entire center, this is an open to air courtyard space that allows easy access to all the different parts of the cultural center. The floors above the ground floor accommodate several functions such as numerous workshop spaces and classrooms along with a food court on the topmost floor, multiple functions from the ground floor such as the exhibition spaces and library are extended to the floors above as well. There are also multiple ramps throughout the most significant functions to allow for universal accessibility to allow everyone to experience the journey through the museum; while the presence of elevator lobbies are present it would be unfair for people to not be able to experience the journey through the exhibition seamlessly without the pacing being broken by ascending or descending the floors through an elevator. The topmost floor also consists of public spaces designated with green roofs as well as an observation deck that slightly protrudes out to have a good view of the surrounding area. Towards the east is an outdoor exhibition space that follows the nearby riverbank, as the water body is a major natural factor of the site itself the formation of the buildings was designed to visually point towards the lake with the public spaces allowing for permeable access to the outdoor exhibition as well.

Technical information

The structure itself is constructed through polished concrete and tempered glass that is treated to account for the harsh sunlight of Dhaka city, the public spaces however are lined with soft paving and red bricks to give the functions a more natural persona to replicate the public courtyards in small towns of old. The Basement can hold approximately 300 cars and the entire structure is designed to accommodate 1500 visitors at once.