Link to Water Filtration Systems Slide

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_nZ3T6v-H_eY21udDNkZUNRX0k/view?usp=sharing

Our ACE TEAM 8 CIRT Competition Submission - submitted March 8th, 2016

 

 

ACE TEAM 8 CIRT NARRATIVE

SHORELINE DESIGN CHALLENGE

Resilient Islambag
Dhaka, Bangladesh

March 8, 2016

 

Project Overview:

             Every year during the months of July to September, Islambag is forced to rebuild itself in the aftermath of heavy floods and monsoons. Families are forced to rebuild their homes from the salvage. Disease and injuries are rampant and, without medical facilities, thousands die every year. An economy dependent on agriculture is stagnated as more than half the crop is destroyed and unnecessary amounts of resources are consumed to rebuild the city. The people of Islambag, who have to rebuild every year, are left without a steady livelihood. Thus, with the interest of Islambag and its people, and the funding of companies that have a stake in Islambag's development, we hope to remedy this problem.

For the C.I.R.T Competition, ACE Team 8 decided to re-design and reinvigorate the shoreline of Islambag, a city within the province of Dhaka, Bangladesh. We decided on this location because it is in desperate need of repair and rehabilitation because every flood season (spring-summer), Islambag is completely destroyed. Our goal is for Islambag to be well protected from floods while incorporating new technologies to advance a city that is deeply rooted in the past. We believe the design of Islambag’s shoreline will allow the area to see unprecedented growth, which will in turn allow the area to grow socioeconomically. Our intention in rebuilding the shoreline is not to replace the existing community, but to allow the community to positively use the resources they are afforded, without the worry of having to move away from the area.

Our hope was to build a shoreline that can protect the citizens of Islambag from having to constantly move away from their homes every flood season, and allows Islambag to return to full functionality soon after the water from a flood has receded.

Team 8 decided to include ideas from similar flood mitigation and preventive measures in areas such as Holland and England. We feel that by revitalizing the shoreline of Dhaka, the area will be able to flourish and grow more than it ever has.

History of Dhaka:

Located along the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, even when initially settled, was full of prosperity. After becoming the capitol of the Mughal Empire in 1610, Dhaka experienced rapid growth, allowing it to become an empire of trade, filling it with innovation and technological expansion. Despite the prosperity Dhaka saw, by 1666 a decline in Dhaka’s importance began, even though the then infamous British East India Company had set up a trading post along the shores of Dhaka. By 1704, the Mughals moved the capitol out of Dhaka. From the 18th to the 19th century, Dhaka remained under control of the British East India Company, mostly exporting tea, bamboo, sugar cane and spices. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, Dhaka began to see social reform, allowing many to be exposed to a unique blend of religious reformers, scholars, writers and artists. By the early 20^th century, it was decided that the large Bengal region would be divided into East Bengal and West Bengal, Dhaka being the capital of East Bengal. This partition only lasted about seven years, eventually being abolished because of negative sentiments. By the time the nation of Pakistan was formed, the people of what would become Bangladesh were tired of oppressive rule and harsh laws. Finally, by 1971 the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was formed.

Today, Dhaka is part of a democracy with an overwhelming population of 15 million people. Dhaka contains a vibrant culture, filled with many religions, as well as a strong educational program. Despite the abundance of people, culture, and transportation, Dhaka is faced annually with devastating floods. For many years, Dhaka has poured resources into mitigating the effects of flood damage, as well as preventing destructive flooding. Despite Dhaka’s efforts, not enough has been done to prevent flooding in an ever-burgeoning society.

Power Systems:

As Dhaka floods, one large problem faced by many of its residents is loss of power. As Team 8 delved further into the discussion of power, one solution we found was using flood-adaptable power systems.  One large problem that currently affects many citizens of Dhaka is the lack of power grids, and the poor management of the ones that are currently being used. Another statistic, taken from the Dhaka Times, states that only 62% of Dhaka’s population has access to power throughout the year. When Team 8 first began to discuss short term solutions to Dhaka’s power situation, we discussed constructing more power grids in order for a larger percentage of the population to have access to power. Another large problem our group saw was that Dhaka, more specifically Islambag, currently has almost no protection from flooding, which can easily be a reason why power grids are destroyed during even the smallest flood. By placing power systems at higher ground and with more barriers to protect the grid during a flood, Islambag would not have to replace its energy infrastructure at the end of each flood season. A simple solution to protect the wires that transfer the electricity to other areas of Dhaka would be using PVC insulated wiring, often times used in America, to prevent the wires from water damage. Another solution would be the use of flexible, liquid-tight metal conduits, which would prevent wires from extreme water damage in the case of a flood. This seemingly simple idea can be very beneficial in protecting mission-critical power systems.
                As for long-term solutions, one possible solution is the use of hydropower systems. Hydropower is the use of either falling water, or in Islambag’s case, fast running water that can be used to create energy. Since Islambag and its surrounding area are too close to sea level for a hydropower system to effectively work, the system could be placed up North, closer to the border of Bangladesh and India, where the higher altitude would allow hydropower to be effectively used. The power created in Bangladesh’s northern border can then be transported to areas all over Dhaka, especially those that are in desperate need of energy.

Flood adaptable construction

Humans have been adapting to their environments throughout history by developing practices, cultures and lives suited to local conditions, such as building homes on stilts to protect against monsoonal rains. However, climate change raises the possibility that existing societies will experience climatic shifts (in temperature, storm frequency, flooding and other factors) that previous experience has not prepared them for.

People have been coming up with new ways to prevent these floods which must be built the right way in order for the structure to do what it is meant to do. People in Dhaka must work hard after the flood season in order to make sure they are fully prepared and ready for when the flood season comes again.

Dhaka experiences local intense rainfall, huge upstream inflows and cyclone induced surges, as well as mass flooding that breach the protective wall that surrounds Dhaka. These floods cover 60% of the mainland areas and towns.

After the flooding season is over, the people of Dhaka must work together in order to rebuild many of the structures that were destroyed by flooding. Materials such as bamboo, sand, and sheets of thin steel are used in re-building these destroyed homes. These materials are all cheap and are of low quality. Businesses and factories, on the contrary, use better quality supplies such as brick, cement, rods, steel and concrete for the base and support.

In order for Dhaka to maintain a better city and society, it must use stronger, denser, and thicker materials, just like the ones used by factories, in order to prevent structures being damaged or destroyed by even the smallest flood. As of now the protective wall is only five to six feet high. The people must use the materials they have and expand the wall, with better support, to prevent destructive waters from entering Dhaka, and more specifically, Islambag.

For buildings and homes, cement should be used as a binder material, brick as a filler material, and steel bars as an extra support in the concrete, otherwise known as reinforced concrete.

Water Contamination

Overview

Bangladesh has had a history of poor water quality and management. Latrine usage is minuscule with only about 16% of the rural areas having access to it. The death rate due to water contamination has killed over 100,000 children in the past year alone. The distribution of clean and ample water has been a priority in the Bangladesh government since the late 70s, when a project to lessen the dependency on contaminated surface water took place. This included constructing over 10 million wells. Later, new problems arose such as high arsenic concentration contaminating the well-water leaving many without clean water. This has caused many of those who depended on the well water to source back to unprotected, often contaminated ponds, ditches, etc. These unsafe methods have led to greater outbreaks of water related diseases. Aside from the rural water crisis, overpopulation and lack of sanitation have created a similar issue in Bangladesh's urban environment. Many of those who once lived in the rural area of Bangladesh have migrated to the slums in hope of earning higher wages to support their families. Instead of solving the problem by moving out of areas with little to no clean water, overcrowding, poor housing, poverty, and poor methods of disposing of waste, this economic migration has exasperated the water contamination crisis in Bangladesh.

Arsenic Water Contamination

Arsenic contamination is an ongoing epidemic in Bangladesh that has been described as 50 times worse than the Chernobyl disaster, and is affecting up to half of the 150 million people that currently live in Bangladesh. This arsenic breakout began when wells were dug in an effort to provide clean drinking water to those who did not have access to it. Some 10 million wells were dug, and inadvertently tapped into arsenic deposits in the ground, releasing the tasteless toxin into the water supply. Bangladesh is one of the poorest nations in the world with about half the population earning a meager wage of 1 USD per day. This is largely why many argue that it is up to international parties to solve this epidemic of water contamination. Bangladesh is about half the size of Iowa, but manages to squeeze half the U.S. population within its borders. With that in mind, the United Nations in conjunction with the Bangladeshi government had proposed a plan to provide safe drinking water to all in 2011. But even with that, estimates say at least 20 million people will still be exposed to arsenic laced water. The solution to the problem could be as simple as digging past the arsenic contaminated levels, but even that is beyond the affordable level for most people living in Bangladesh. Another explored option was to start introducing filters in the wells. Once again, this is out of reach to one of the poorest populations in the world.

Dhaka mainly runs on a system of road transportation using buses, bikes, cars, taxis, etc. Every year the roads are vulnerable to flooding and damage. The population is rising up to 22-25 million by the year 2020. This also means that traffic conditions on the streets will see increased crowds of vehicles and people. Possible solutions for flood adaptable transportation during a flood event:

·         Elevating some parts of the ground to create a walkway - Walkways are solutions to flooding in Venice. This is a temporary, but quick and effective, solution. Based on some pictures of these walkways, we will have to create walkways that can accommodate more people because as we know, the population of Dhaka is increasing and narrow walkways will not be able to accommodate everyone in case of a flood. These walkways will need to be at least two feet above the ground.

·         Systems of Bridges - Bridges could be a long term solution as long as we make them stable. Although they are long term solutions to transportation, they can take a long time to construct. However, they are a good investment because they can accommodate more people than walkways.

·         Boating transportation - Boats are a good solution to transportation during flooding because of their ability to carry a lot of materials and their speed to get to another location during flooding. The duration of construction of a boat depends on the boat that you are creating. Boating transportation is considered a long term solution because boats are reusable.

Materials to be used for these solutions

·         One popular material that can be used to create walkways and boats/canoes is bamboo. There is a surplus of bamboo that exists in Dhaka. It is a really strong material that can make boats/walkways stable enough to carry people and materials. It is a cost effective solution as well since there is an abundance of it. The bridge solution on the other hand takes a lot of materials to build and reinforce it, but it is a long term solution.

 

Dredging

The dredging process involves removing sediment, gravel, rocks from the water. Dredging is important to our project in Dhaka because it helps to reduce the impact of tidal flooding, and will also allow for more ground water runoff.

Pics

Inadequate Sanitation Costs

http://www.wsp.org/sites/wsp.org/files/publications/ESI-Bangladesh-Brochure.pdf

Dredging History

http://www.vitensevidesinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Bangladesh-Urban-dredging-demonstration-project-Dhaka.pdf

Time frame for Obtaining Building Permits in Dhaka

http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/dhaka/dealing-with-construction-permits/

ACE Design Questions A-E

Question A- Define and/or describe the problems/challenges you faced when deciding on the design project you chose to do for the competition.

During the design challenge, we were faced with numerous obstacles. We wanted to make sure we were making the best choice for our project. At first, the majority wanted to go forward with re-designing a bridge, seeing that it was more simplistic out of the rest. On the contrary, the shoreline project was rather broad. Some believed that the bridge design project would not have much of an impact. After several discussions and debates, we casted a vote and soon declared that the shoreline project would be the challenge for us to tackle. We were then faced with our next challenge, selecting a location. During our brainstorming session, we as a group listed different locations including Miami, New York, and Japan. One of the students, however, spoke to us about Bangladesh- ultimately capturing our attention. Known for its seasonal monsoons as well as its dense population, Bangladesh, also known as “the sinking country”,  was one of the top areas affected by frequent flooding, resulting in collateral damages in highly populated areas affected mostly by flooding. Being an impoverished country, not much can be done about the frequent monsoons. To add on, when choosing Bangladesh, we noticed that we would also be limited by the amount of funds and resources available. Then, we realized that Bangladesh is certainly a challenge worth the time and dedication.

Question B- Thoroughly describe your design process, in writing and through visuals on the boards, (e.g., sketches, renderings, stepped process, before and after, budgets, timelines, etc.)

We took a top-down approach, starting outwards by first pinpointing a location we thought would best fit the needs of shoreline reconstruction. To begin with, we had many potential locations including New York City, New Orleans, etc., and then we came to the conclusion that Dhaka, Bangladesh more specifically Islambag, would be our final location for our project. We came to this conclusion on account that Islambag has periodic monsoon seasons, which destroys its coastal shoreline, cripples the economy and evidently leaves many families homeless. The city has a distinct monsoonal season with approximately 87% of the annual average rainfall of (83.6 inches) occurring between May and October. After further research we discovered that runoff from the Himalayan mountain range; caused by deforestation added to the seasonal flooding. Moreover the rising sea level, high tides and Islambag’s low elevation also contributes to the seasonal flooding. Furthermore annual monsoon flooding results in the loss of human life, damage to property and a shortage of drinking water, which leads to the spread of disease. Now that we have covered geographical aspects, in terms of costs Islambag does not have proper storm water management or any stable impervious ground cover (asphalts, concrete, etc). In our examination of these root problems, we produced a few solutions that we are going to implement in different phases. Phase 1, which spans from 6 months to 2 years and deals with solving imminent problems, include stilts and floaters and deployable walkways. Next, phase 2, which deals with short terms, spanning from 2 years to 5 years, which includes solutions like permanent water filtration systems, floating houses, seawalls, revetment structures etc. Finally phase 3, which are long-terms solutions, spanning from 5 years to 20 years, deal with Regional water management, hydroelectric dams, and reforestation. These solutions, working together will help to solve the base problem of homelessness, illnesses, and loss of life, all of which is generated yearly by the aforementioned root causes.

Question C-  Explain how your design approach is an appropriate, innovative solution that realistically responds to the precise design competition problem. Explain how your design is different from other approaches or processes, if such is the case; and/or meets budgetary constraints,timeline issues or other challenges.

        

Question D- Describe any social/ecological or otherwise beneficial qualities of your design solution. (For example is it a universal? How? Is it environmentally friendly? Does it use cost-effective or recyclable materials?)

Our main objective, was to improve the quality of lives of the people living  in Islambag. Through our project, we discovered that we were able to make a series of beneficial improvements to the housing standard, local economy, and regional environment. We were able to revitalize the local fishing economy, by preventing floodwaters which would allow local fishing communities to continue to catch fish. Fish is one of Islambag’s chief commodities in terms of commerce, along with the main source of sustenance for those who live within the vicinity.  We learned that deforestation can causes a vast amount of erosion and destroy the natural habitats of many species. However, through further examination we understood that reforestation can reverse the damage done by erosion. Regional water sources, a vital resource for human development usually adversely impacted, by deforestation can be brought back to health through reforestation.

• Filtration Plants help to bring cleaner water
• Raise the housing standard
• Stabilize the economy
• Cost-Efficient/recyclable materials, bamboo/concrete mix
• Universal design- Can be applied to many tropical, third-world countries

Question E- Describe What you learned from this design competition.

         As a team, we learned a lot from the design challenge. We successfully pulled together each of our own solutions during brainstorming and determined the most effective and realistic solution. During the actual process, however, the flood prevention solutions in which we brainstormed seemed overwhelming at first. We learned that communication was a vital aspect throughout our project, so we all agreed on the best solution. During research, we learned a lot about the actual construction process, building materials, economics, locating the root of the problem(s) at hand and figuring out a solution and much more. To add on, by conducting research for the design project, we all got to contribute to our engineering field(s) of interest, making this task, a successful learning experience for each and every one of us. Those in the Architectural group learned design process of buildings, while those in construction conducted research on building materials, and how to construct flood adaptable and resistant housing structures. It was clear that having the opportunity to pick your own role in the project according to your intended major in college turned out to be an excellent idea. Also, be seeing how all of these roles are connected, we were enlightened by how all these experienced mentors and professionals in the engineering field are involved in the real world.

Write-up for presentation boards

Board 1

Project Overview:

                 Every year during the months of July to September, Islambag is forced to rebuild itself in the aftermath of heavy flood and monsoons. Families are forced to rebuild their homes from the salvage. Disease and injuries are rampant and, without medical facilities, thousands die every year. An economy dependent on agriculture is stagnated because as more than half the crop is destroyed and unnecessary amounts of resources are consumed to rebuild the city. The people of Islambag, who have to rebuild every year, are left without a steady livelihood. Thus, with the interest of Islambag and its people, and the funding of companies that have a stake in Islambag's development, we hope to remedy this problem.

History of Dhaka:

Located along the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, even when initially settled, was full of prosperity. After becoming the capitol of the Mughal Empire in 1610, Dhaka experienced rapid growth, allowing it to become an empire of trade, filling it with innovation and technological expansion. Despite the prosperity Dhaka saw, by 1666 a decline in Dhaka’s importance began, even though the then infamous British East India Company had set up a trading post along the shore of Dhaka. By 1704, the Mughals moved the capitol out of Dhaka. From the 18th to the 19th century, Dhaka remained under control of the British East India Company, mostly exporting tea, bamboo, sugar cane and spices. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, Dhaka began to see social reform, allowing many to be exposed to a unique blend of religious reformers, scholars, writers and artists. By the early 20^th Century, it was decided that the large Bengal region would be divided into East Bengal and West Bengal, Dhaka being the capital of East Bengal. This partition only lasted about seven 7 years, eventually being abolished because of negative sentiments. By the time the nation of Pakistan was formed, the people of what would become Bangladesh were tired of oppressive rule and harsh laws. Finally, by 1971 the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was formed.

Today, Dhaka is a part of a democracy with an overwhelming population of 15 million people. Dhaka contains a vibrant culture, filled with many religions, as well as a strong educational program. Despite the abundance of people, culture, and transportation, Dhaka is faced annually with devastating floods. For many years, Dhaka has poured resources into mitigating the effects of flood damage, as well as preventing destructive flooding. Despite Dhaka’s efforts, not enough has been done to prevent flooding in an ever-burgeoning society.

Power Systems:

As Dhaka floods, one large problem faced by many of its residents is loss of power. As Team 8 delved further into the discussion of power, one solution we found was using flood-adaptable power systems.  One large problem that currently affects many citizens of Dhaka is the lack of power grids, and the poor management of the ones that are currently being used. Another statistic, taken from the Dhaka Times, states that only 62% of Dhaka’s population has access to power throughout the year. When Team 8 first began to discuss short term solutions to Dhaka’s power situation, we discussed constructing more power grids in order for a larger percentage of the population to have access to power. Another large problem our group saw was that Dhaka, more specifically Islambag, currently has almost no protection from flooding, which can easily be a reason why power grids are destroyed during even the smallest flood. By placing power systems at higher ground and with more barriers to protect the grid during a flood, Islambag would not have to replace its energy infrastructure at the end of the flood season. A simple solution to protect the wires that transfer the electricity to other areas of Dhaka would be using PVC insulated wiring, often times used in America, to prevent the wires from water damage. Another solution would be the use of flexible, liquid-tight metal conduits, which would prevent wires from extreme water damage in the case of a flood. This seemingly simple idea can be very beneficial in protecting mission-critical power systems.
                As for long-term solutions, one possible solution is the use of hydropower systems. Hydropower is the use of either falling water, or in Islambag’s case, fast running water that can be used to create energy. Since Islambag and its surrounding area are too close to sea level in order for a hydropower system to effectively work, the system could be placed up North, closer to the border of Bangladesh and India, where the higher altitude would allow hydropower to be effectively used. The power created in Bangladesh’s northern border can then be transported to areas all over Dhaka, especially those that are in desperate need of energy.

Board 2

Project Overview:

For the C.I.R.T Competition, ACE Team 8 decided to design and reinvigorate the shoreline of Islambag, a city within the province of Dhaka, Bangladesh. We decided on this location because it is in desperate need of repair and rehabilitation because every flood season (spring-summer), Islambag is completely destroyed. Our goal is for Islambag to be well protected from floods while incorporating new technologies to advance a city that is deeply rooted in the past. We believe the design of Islambag’s shoreline will allow the area to see unprecedented growth, which will in turn allow the area to grow socioeconomically. Our intention in rebuilding the shoreline is not to replace the existing community, but to allow the community to positively use the resources they are afforded, without the worry of having to move away from the area.

Our hope was to build a shoreline that can protect the citizens of Islambag from having to constantly move away from their homes every flood citizen, and allow Islambag to return to full functionality soon after the water from a flood has receded.

Team 8 decided to include ideas from similar flood mitigation and preventive measures in areas such as Holland and England. We feel that by revitalizing the shoreline of Dhaka, the area will be able to flourish and grow more than it ever has.

Flood adaptable construction

Humans have been adapting to their environments throughout history by developing practices, cultures and lives suited to local conditions, such as building homes on stilts to protect against monsoonal rains. However, climate change raises the possibility that existing societies will experience climatic shifts (in temperature, storm frequency, flooding and other factors) that previous experience has not prepared them for.

People have been coming up with new ways to prevent these floods which must be built the right way in order for the structure to do what it is meant to do. People in Dhaka must work hard after the flood season in order to make sure they are fully prepared and ready for when the flood season comes again.

Dhaka experiences local intense rainfall, huge upstream inflows and cyclone induced surges, as well as mass flooding that breach the protective wall that surrounds it. These floods cover 60% of the mainland areas and towns.

After the flooding season is over, the people of Dhaka must work together in order to rebuild many of the structures that were destroyed by flooding. Materials such as bamboo, sand, and sheets of thin steel are used in re-building these destroyed homes. Those materials are all cheap and are of low quality. Businesses and factories, on the contrary, use better quality supplies such as bricks, cement, rods, steel and concrete for the base and support.

in order for Dhaka to maintain a better city and society, it must use stronger, denser, and thicker materials, just like the ones used by factories, in order to prevent structures being damaged or destroyed by even the smallest flood. As of now the protective wall is only five-six feet high. The people must use the materials they have and expand the wall, with better support, to prevent destructive waters from entering Dhaka, and more specifically, Islambag.

For building and homes, cement should be used as a binder material, brick as a filler material, and steel bars as an extra support in the concrete, otherwise known as reinforced concrete.

Water Contamination

Overview

Bangladesh has had a history of poor water quality and management. Latrine usage is minuscule with only about 16% of the rural areas having access to it. The death rate due to water contamination has killed over 100,000 children in the past year alone. The distribution of clean and ample water has been a priority in the Bangladesh government since the late 70s, when a project to lessen the dependency on contaminated surface water took place. This included constructing over 10 million wells. Later, new problems arose such as high arsenic concentration contaminating the well-water leaving many without clean water. This has caused many of those who depended on the well water to source back to unprotected, often contaminated ponds, ditches, etc. These unsafe methods have led to greater outbreaks of water related diseases. Aside from the rural water crisis, overpopulation and lack of sanitation has created a similar issue in Bangladesh's urban environment. Many of those who once lived in the rural area of Bangladesh have migrated to the slums in hope of earning higher wages to support their families. Instead of solving the problem by moving out of areas with little to no clean water, overcrowding, poor housing, poverty, and poor methods of disposing of waste, have all contributed to the water contamination crisis in Bangladesh.

Arsenic Water Contamination

Arsenic contamination is an ongoing epidemic in Bangladesh that has been described as 50 times worse than the Chernobyl disaster, and is affecting up to half of the 150 million people that currently live in Bangladesh. This arsenic breakout began when wells were dug up in efforts to provide clean drinking water to those who did not have access to it. Some 10 million wells were dug up, and tapped into arsenic deposits in ground, releasing the tasteless toxin into the water supply. Bangladesh is one of the poorest nations in the world with about half the population earning a meager wage of 1 USD per day. This is largely why many argue that it is up to international parties to solve this issue of water contamination epidemic. Bangladesh is about half the size of Iowa, but manages to squeeze half the U.S. population. With that in mind, the United Nations in conjunction with Bangladesh government has proposed a plan to provide safe drinking water to all in 2011, but even with that, estimates say that at least 20 million people with still be exposed to arsenic laced water. The solution to the problem could be as simple as digging past the arsenic contaminated levels, but even that is past the affordable level for most people living in Bangladesh. Another explored option was to start introducing filters in the wells. Once again this is out of reach to one of the poorest populations in the world.

Dhaka mainly runs on a system of road transportation using buses, bikes, cars, taxis, etc. Therefore, the roads are vulnerable to flooding and damage by other natural disasters as well. The population is rising up to 22-25 million by the year of 2020. This also means that traffic conditions on the streets are going to see more activity and an increased crowd of vehicles and people. Possible solutions for flood adaptable transportation during an event of a flood:

·         Elevating some parts of the ground to create a walkway- Walkways are solutions to flooding in Venice. This is a temporary, but quick and effective, solution. Based on some of these pictures of the walkways, we will have to create walkways that can accommodate more people because as we know, the population of Dhaka is increasing and thin walkways will not be able to accommodate everyone in case of a flood. These walkways will need to be at least  two feet above the ground.

·         Systems of Bridges- Bridges could be a long term solution as long as if we make them stable. Although they are long term solutions to transportation, they can take a long time to construct. However, they are a good investment because they can accommodate more people than walkways.

·         Boating transportation- Boats are a good solution to transportation during flooding because of their ability to carry a lot of materials and their speed to get to another location during flooding. The duration of construction of a boat depends on the boat that you are creating. Boating transportation is considered a long term solution because boats are reusable.

Materials to be used for these solutions

·         One popular material that can be used to create walkways and boats/canoes is bamboo. There is a surplus amount of bamboo that exists in Dhaka right now and it is a really strong material that can make these boats/walkways stable enough to carry people and materials. It is a cost effective solution as well since there is an abundance of it. The bridge solution on the other hand, takes a lot of materials to build and reinforce it, but it is a long term solution.

Flood Resistant Construction Write-up

Our first housing structure is primarily for residential buildings, schools, and medical facilities, known as floating houses. Two houses will be attached to each other, like that of a long house, all mounted onto a large bamboo raft. The bamboo raft, known for its incredible buoyancy will serve as the flotation device for the houses once the water begins to flow in. In addition, there will be foot long teeth at each end of the raft, surrounding tall wooden poles embedded into the ground so as to keep the houses from floating away as debris and causing more destruction in the highly populated area. In addition, the house is also equipped with wind resistant roofs built with shallow angles so that rain can run off of the left and right side of the house. The reason for this is so that the water flows into a gutter and travel down a pipe alongside the house into an enclosed tank, where the newly captured water will wait to become filtered and put to use by the family. In addition, bamboo will also be used for the main structure of the house, due do its high buoyancy, so that we do not add any more weight on the raft itself.

Our second house is more suitable for buildings that are more vulnerable to damage, due to their close proximity within the floods area of envelopment. Opposed to a floating house, it is built out of structural strong materials such as bricks or cement. Unlike the floating houses, this different housing structure, which can be called the elevating household, will not accommodate any residents on the first floor, but mainly on the second floor. Water will flow into the first floor and rise until it meets the ceiling. The ceiling comes equipped with a similar float raft made from either bamboo or polystyrene foam coated in glass fiber reinforced concrete. It is attached to four posts on each corner of the house, fitted into a slot in which the posts can move up and down freely. This house structure gains its name due to the fact that as the water level rises in the first floor, the second floor will rise along with it, recreating a sort of elevator-like system. So that the residents will be lifted out of harm’s way into the third floor position, while the house stays structurally safe.

This article reviews an exhibition currently in London on building disaster resistant cities.  Take a look at the flood resistant ones!

http://hyperallergic.com/278158/rethinking-architecture-after-catastrophe/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20Metropolitan%20Museum%20Is%20Still%20Very%20Eurocentric%20and%20Conservative&utm_content=The%20Metropolitan%20Museum%20Is%20Still%20Very%20Eurocentric%20and%20Conservative+CID_80c1e83645bddcf7d6a67a87d7090346&utm_source=HyperallergicNewsletter&utm_term=Rethinking%20Architecture%20After%20Catastrophe