this, the Housing & Building Research Institute (HBRI) has initiated the setting up of six experimental dwelling units that are resource and energy efficient, as well as, environment friendly. The key elements are: (1) use of efficient and clean energy by using solar panels and bio-gas, (2) resource efficiency by rain-water harvesting and using more weather resistant, resilient and recycled building materials. These include – specially treated bamboo to increase longevity in traditional structures; use of bamboo walls and structural frame with the application of plaster coat to increase longevity greatly; use of crushed concrete from demolished building to greatly reduces use of pristine materials; more efficient brick bonding (rat-trap) to improve material efficiency and enhance thermal and damp resistance properties; and use of hollow concrete blocks and ferrocement folded plates to reduce building cost and improve performance. (3) Using renewable technologies as windmill to raise water to overhead tanks, bio-gas for cooking and fertilizer production and integrated farming and home agriculture to generate economic activities mostly for women at home. The breakthrough in this project is a use of local technologies and integration of clean energy to provide improvement over traditional housing practices, economic activities especially for the women and improvement in the living standard of the rural population. The project will integrate, in the future, provisional on the availability of funds, water purification, solid waste recycling and micro-agro industries and food processing. With the availability of funds the project would be introduced at every corner of the country through workshops and field level introduction and local level training.

Describe the critical need your solution addresses.

The HBRI started to execute construction of six dwelling units using different experimental building technologies and eco-solutions, starting from July 2007. Two major objectives were: efficiency and economy in energy and material use over traditional building practices in the country and generation of household income generation activities for women. During the period July 2007 – June 2008 the construction of five of these dwelling units were completed, while the sixth unit is currently under construction and expected to be completed by December 2008. Solar panels for each of these units have already been procured but they are waiting to be installed post-occupation. Bio gas plants have also been constructed and will become operational after the units are completed. Landscaping has not been done yet as construction activities are still going on at the site. Based on the availability of fund, in the next three years, the construction of the units will be retro-fitted with additional eco-technologies for testing. Not all but some of the future components being proposed by the consultant and research architect are: solid waste management, grey water recycling, on site water purification and development of micro-industries and agricultural processing.

Explain your initiative in more depth and its stage of development.

The Eco-Housing project is not a stand alone innovation. By addressing the energy and resource constrains of the world’s growing economy and particularly those of a developing country, the project integrates key social, economic, environmental, and cultural issues. It addresses economy by reducing energy and resource need, it improves social conditions by providing better living standards and economic benefits, it addresses the environment by using clean technologies and recycling waste and water and it addresses cultural issues by using appropriate technology and not proposing radical changes in traditional lifestyles. It is comprehensive because it solves multiple problems – better able to withstand natural disasters (future goal), more energy efficient and better performing building technologies and material use. The project predicts future trends which is growing demand on housing and settlement infrastructure and addresses it both in the rural and urban context. It is a feasible solution relying on current technology and existing resources; it is also verifiable and replicable in the county’s context.

How does your strategy and approach respond creatively and comprehensively to key issues?

Consultant’s qualification:
Mujtaba Ahsan
Bachelor in Architecture from the Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, Doctorate in Architecture from the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Architecture, USA. Degree fellow from the East West Center (2003-2005). Teaching experience: Lecturer - University of Asia Pacific, Bangladesh (2000 – 2003), Senior Lecturer and Assistant Professor, North South University, Bangladesh (2006 – to Date). D.Arch dissertation: A Regional Application of Sustainable Architecture: Principles and Practices for an Urban Residential Development.

Project architect’s qualification:
Nafizur Rahman
Bachelor in Architecture from the University of Asia Pacific. Working experience as research architect at the Housing and Building Research Institute of the Government of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh (2006 – 2008) and currently the Assistant Project Director of the Eco-Housing Project. Working experience as assistant architect at the ARC Architectural Consultants. Attended a training workshop on Eco-Housing organized by the UNEP in Thailand.

Research Organization’s qualification:
Housing and Building Research Institute
Government of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh. Darus-Salam, Mirpur
Dhaka-1216, Bangladesh