UNPACKING DHAKA: 1st International Congress on Ultradense Urbanism

Friday, March 17, 2017
5:00 AM 6:00 AM 05:00 06:00

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UNPACKING DHAKA: Ist International Congress on Ultradense Urbanism

3-10 June, 2017 @ BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Hosted by Department of Architecture, BRAC University in collaboration with Estudio Abierto / Open Studio

THEME:

The Congress will explore the particular condition of density in Dhaka which can be seen to transcend the “congestion” Rem Koolhaas mentioned in Delirious New York. No longer can it be classified as an extension of the normal urban configuration and hence the Congress aims to capture this “Ultradense Urbanism”. The negative spaces produced in between the bodies, the architecture and the flows in the city mediates and configures from the erotic to the political, the two extremes of spatial agency. The ultradensity of Dhaka results in the narrowing of this void redefining the boundaries between the common political space and the intimate erotic one. This phenomenon of the packaging of the bodies, repeating with architecture in the urban fabric, exhibits the limits of human cohabitation. What are the new limits set forth in this massive packaging of bodies, materials and culture? Particular socio-economic factors produce, maintain and are simultaneously resultant of this ultradensity, all within a play of formal and informal mechanisms of control. This complex interplay requires unpacking and is a fertile ground for architectural exploration. For a future with increasing number of dense cities, unpacking Dhaka is going to provide a transcendent learning of this particular urban phenomenon.

SUB-TOPICS:

A. The Body in the Space _ compactness _ intimacy and proximity _ civil distance _ how privacy breaks down in the domestic space _ erotic space _ idea of social justice

B. The Architecture in the Fabric _ negative space _ informal growth _ impact of building code _ resulting public space _ friction of activities / programs _ the tectonic of negative space _ articulation of voids

C. The Movement in the City _ dense mobility _ constricted fluidity _ pedestrian _ traffic congestion _ organization of flows _ supply and waste flows _ critical temporality _ the infrastructural moves

D. The Socio-economic in the Culture _ density of transactions _ markets and people _ cultural overlap _ density of events / festivals _ informal economy _ real-estate developer

E. The Control Mechanism of Ultradensity _ political control of city _ norms _ moral rules of public behavior _ religious camaraderie _ formal policing + informal control _ local godfathers _ legal codes _ building authorities _ power _ signs of control ( do not pee here ) _ and symptoms of rebellion

SCHEDULE:

Thursday/Friday - 1- 2 Jun

Arrival of International delegates

Friday - 2 Jun

Evening City Tour

Participants: International delegates with local architects / faculty/ students (volunteers)

Location: Old dhaka_chockbazar iftar market

Saturday - 3 Jun _ Opening Day of Congress

10 am _ Presenting the theme of the congress and introducing the participant,

10:30 am _ welcoming the students

11 am - 2 pm _ Design Workshop Opening Session - general discussion and formulating workshop targets

2 pm onwards _ site visits / exploration / (no review + no presentation)

Sunday - 4 Jun _ Workshop Day 2 - [sub-topic A]

9 30 am _ 11 am _ international faculty presentation subtopic A + Bangladeshi faculty presentation subtopic A + discussion

11 am - 3 pm _ Design Workshop Session