The Arcadia Education Centre (School) is located in South Kanarchor,

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

on the bank of the

Dhaleshwari River The Dhaleshwari River ( bn, ধলেশ্বরী ''Dhôleshshori'') is a distributary, long, of the Jamuna River (Bangladesh), Jamuna River in central Bangladesh. It starts off the Jamuna near the northwestern tip of Tangail District. After ...

. The modular, amphibious structure adapts to seasonal flooding using an innovative design based on traditional building techniques and incorporating local materials. The facility contains a preschool, hostel, nursery, and vocational training centre.

Amphibious architecture

The Maleka Welfare Trust purchased a patch of land so they could relocate one of their preschools and add additional social facilities. The land is flooded five months of the year and its topography is incompatible with conventional solutions to this challenge. Arcadia inteza3

Architect Saif Ul Haque Sthapati of

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

, Bangladesh designed a buoyant platform that floats tethered during the rainy season and settles back to the ground during the dry season, allowing the facility to remain operational year-round. In addition to this cost-effective solution to flooding, the building is made of inexpensive materials including several local bamboo varieties and upcycled materials such as steel drums and car tires. The building materials and techniques are based on traditional house construction techniques used in the area. This amphibious structure that rises with water levels could be the potential solution to

rising sea levels Rising may refer to: * Rising, a stage in baking - see Proofing (baking technique) *Elevation * Short for Uprising, a rebellion Film and TV * "Rising" (''Stargate Atlantis''), the series premiere of the science fiction television program ''Starga ...

because of climate change. The structure is open to nature, allowing students to benefit from natural light while learning from their surroundings.

Maleka Welfare Trust

The Maleka Welfare Trust is a private social welfare organization. Their programs include preschools, a vocational training centre, a nursery, and a hostel for single women. The

Aga Khan Award for Architecture The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies in the fields ...

announced the Maleka Welfare Trust's Arcadia Education Project as one of the 2019 Award winners for its thoughtful response to flooding using local materials and traditional building techniques. Razia Alam was presented the Aga Khan Award for Architecture by His Highness the Aga Khan and Mintimer Shaimiev, State Counselor of the Republic of Tatarstan on September 13, 2019. AKAA 2019 Arcadia Education Project Razia Alam

AKAA 2019 Arcadia Education Project Razia Alam

Bangladesh is consistently ranked among the countries most at risk from climate change. Each year, massive rainfall causes loss of life and displacement of people. Affordable and locally sustainable architectural models like the Arcadia facility improves the everyday lives of Bangladeshis and other affected populations.

References

{{reflist Educational organisations based in Bangladesh