“Bon Er bari”(A Forest Retreat) located in Gazipur, Dhaka was awarded Berger Award for Excellence in Architecture in association with Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) in the 2022 cycle.
The project is more like a sheer house with various degrees of transparency that emulates the need to preserve the existing landscape to suit the user. Respecting the existing significant trees, the shape of the villa has been molded and adorned with a courtyard in the center surrounded by five bedrooms, and a living-dining space under a large overhead roof.
This is wholly a crafted architecture with a lot of exercise in handmade finishes and innovation in using the locally available material mostly metal, wood, and mud. The mud finish on the outer wall gives a sense of a rustic and bucolic setting near the countryside whereas, the inner habitat area has a contrasting scenario embellished with fine finishes and sophistication. Overall, this project entails the task of bringing forth its culture infusion with the natural ambiance of the country while aiming to provide the user with a collective experience of the Bangladeshi countryside coupled with luxurious living.
