Majumder Arif Residence | Shatotto

Majumder Arif Residence:

The Majumder Arif Residence, a single extended family house, is a contemporary architectural design of edifying relationships among built materials and natural elements. Dhaka-based architecture studio SHATOTTO completed this project in 2018 in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. SHATOTTO’s intention was to create a space for living in privacy along with cross ventilation, ample daylight, and vegetation. The challenge of the plot was its north-facing orientation. The north-facing buildings are deprived of the monsoon summer wind and winter sun in Dhaka because of its subtropical climate due to 24.5° latitude. Furthermore, the other sides of the plot are surrounded by the backsides of seven and eight storied buildings that do not allow the sun to enter the building and the eye to enjoy the sky and nature from the building. To deal with the challenges, the design decision was to divide the whole building into three segments to welcome the sunlight the whole day. The Eastern segment is left empty from the third floor for the courtyard and garden up to the top. The intentional use of a glass roof with some small holes and glass stairs in this segment welcomes the sunlight to peep and rain to fall into the house. This segment provides an amicable view of bouncing greenery, the play of sunlight, and raindrops to the residents of the house.

Placement of utilities and parking spaces on the basement; reception, games room and substation on the ground level; parents’ living area on the first floor; formal living, dining, and family living on the duplex, containing second and third floor; library, formal living, and bar area on the fourth floor; conference room with large void space on the fifth floor;  electro-mechanical support facilities of swimming pool, gymnasium and pavilion on the sixth floor, swimming pool with deck, bar-b-que space and green orchard on the seventh floor; garden with open space on the eighth floor - has opted for implementing the "stacking" design to provide much space on the ground and other levels. The use of exposed concrete, having an unfurnished surface was done intentionally to make the building sustainable in the highly humid climate of Bangladesh which gives the house a "natural" look. Alternation of water in different water bodies, gardens with bouncing greeneries, passage for breezes to create natural ventilation to the many openings, windows, and terraces on each floor, and hollow spaces - has brought "fluidity" in the design of the house.

The architect’s philosophy was to design the house in such a way that it does not deprive people of enjoying the sky and the natural beauty. So, the endeavor was to embed porosity in design to delight the eye with vista rather than limiting the vision. When the pedestrians look at the house from the street, they can see the sky through the house and the trees coming out of the house. Interestingly, in winter, the sunlight enters the house and the building passes the sunlight to shine the road, in front of the house, while adjacent buildings cast a shadow on the street. Intense desire and relentless effort for establishing the connection with nature have made the house space for living in nature.