SPACE, NATURE & ARCHITECTURE

ICE Today speaks with Kazi Fida Islam, Chairman and Principal Architect of River & Rain, and Abdul Awyal, Managing Partner and Team Leader, about their unconventional architectural designs and experimentation with materials to enhance people’s living experiences.

 

 

 

HOW DID RIVER & RAIN COME TO BE? WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR ARCHITECTURAL FIRM?
Abdul Awyal: We were students together at BUET. During our academic years, we started working together on architectural model making and on small-scale designs. After working independently for a few years, we soon wanted to start our own architectural firm. The name was chosen in an attempt to trace us back to our roots and stay humble to our local surroundings. The aim is not to diverge too far from nature but design along with it.

 

Kazi Fida: I would say it started with a thought of connecting us back to nature and to our origin, the country’s landscape. Bangladesh’s wondrous natural fabric brought us to its name – from riverine and river, the name ‘River and Rain’ came about. One way or another, the name has an influence on our designs as it always remains on the back of our minds – like the title to a story.

 

Abdul Awyal: And with that name decided, we formally started our firm in 2015. We started with a small team but we have slowly grown over the years. The way the firm is structured now, Fida is the chairman and principal Architect and I am the managing partner and team leader. We also have supporting engineers who supervise our in-house projects.

 

YOU INCORPORATE UNCONVENTIONAL MATERIALS INTO YOUR DESIGN TO CREATE AESTHETICS THAT ARE NOVEL AND UNIQUE. WHAT IS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND DEVIATING FROM THE NORM?
Kazi Fida: If we look at the current practices in this new era of architecture, we can see the incorporation of a variety of materials. As the choice of materials is one of the preliminaries in building designs, the context works as a guiding principle for it. I would therefore say that the selection of materials is based on the opportunities that arise within that particular context. As for personal preference, we opt for the rawness of a particular material and try to portray the originality of any material through our design. The beauty and rawness embraced in the roughness of concrete, aged materials, and recycled materials exist in an expression of harmony with its surroundings, rather than overshadowing it. These materials not only have an upper hand in terms of aesthetics but also in low maintenance and sustainability.

 

 

YOUR DESIGNS HAVE HIGH PRECEDENCE FOR OPEN SPACES, NATURAL ELEMENTS, AND SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS. ARE THERE ANY DESIGN CONSTRAINTS WHEN TRYING TO ACHIEVE THESE OBJECTIVES FOR PROJECTS INSIDE DHAKA CITY?
Kazi Fida: We have faced many challenges with the projects inside Dhaka city compared to projects in rural areas. Predominant is the scarcity of open spaces in the heavily dense urban fabric. In addition, the complex functional patterns and social challenges in our country developed over the years give us very few chances to experiment more with design. In spite of that, we thrive to incorporate these elements into our design with the intention to connect the occupants to nature.

 

A relatable example would be Shoili Residence, a renovation, interior and landscaping project. Just like most buildings in Dhaka, this residence rubs shoulders with other buildings surrounding it, making it difficult to achieve openness and connectedness to nature. Since the site was receiving a decent amount of sunlight from east-west, we designed a vertical garden that both the neighbours could benefit from.
Abdul Awyal: The increasing land value makes it difficult to maintain the design quality of a space. In a dense urban edifice, we are bounded by design compliance that has an impact on design. Regardless of the difficulties, we are constantly trying to ensure the quality of the designed space as well as use natural elements to make up for the lack of open space.

YOUR WORK HAS RECEIVED PRAISE AND RECOGNITION BOTH INTERNATIONAL AND LOCALLY, YET YOU HAVE NOT GONE MAINSTREAM. WHAT IS THE MOTIVATION TO STAY NICHE?
Kazi Fida: I feel being an architect is a continual process. We continue to absorb, learn and grow. We have come a long way since we have first started our very own practice as an architectural firm but are yet to reach that height that you have mentioned. Both my partner and I are striving to ensure the quality of every design that takes precedence over quantity. Most importantly what is rewarding to us is to see the users living the life we imagined, and the spatial relationship between human activities and their connectedness with nature. With all the endless support, we hope can continue to grow and achieve far bigger things in the future.

 

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ARCHITECTURE? WHAT ARE YOUR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN VALUES? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE BEING ADOPTED AND APPRECIATED MORE IN ARCHITECTURE IN BANGLADESH?
Kazi Fida: It is my opinion that architecture should not be self-important and an attempt to glorify itself. Rather, I think it should be more down to earth and in tune with nature. As a nature-oriented person myself, I believe design should stay minimal yet captivating from where it stands. I believe design should not outright dominate a space but rather capture the essence of the space and the surrounding context in that given time. With big leaps in technological advancements, our country has come a long way. However, the ever-present scarcity of land in Dhaka poses a great problem. Open spaces have become expensive and out of the reach of much of the general public. Solutions have started to become more exclusive rather than being inclusive. So, I think we should push back against this trend and make spaces accessible to citizens from all walks of life.
Abdul Awyal: Regarding architectural design values, we value the experience of the residents with the way landscaping has been incorporated, the way natural lighting is utilised, and the utilisation of sustainable and recycled materials. Nowadays architecture has become materialistic and the authenticity of our culture and connection to nature is disappearing. Designers in our country should switch to more sustainable means of building. Exploring new local materials which are inexpensive and sustainable while coming up with
new ideas in architecture should be practised more.

 

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