Description
Despite the fact that Golapbagh is a residential area in the Dhaka Metropolitan, its playground lacks the facilities that are a must for a playground. It had been in use at the intercity bus counter for quite some time. Furthermore, while Mayor Hanif Flyover was under construction, the construction company used the playground as their stack yard by encroaching on the playground. Moreover, for their purposes, they cast 2 to 3 feet for their reimbursements. The playground’s atmosphere got even worse while it was a place of antisocial and unethical activities by the miscreants. Consequent upon these, the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) initiated a timely measure to save the parks and playgrounds within its jurisdiction and Golapbagh Playground was one of those.
When the Golapbagh Playground project was awarded, our approach was purposeful, which was to help society cater to the objective of a playground as mentioned above and to revitalize the public realm in their neighborhoods. In this mindset, we have considered the playground as more than a blank canvas where we need to apply our creative design to make it functional and purposeful. In conformity with this, the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) approach was taken into consideration. To reduce the construction cost and waste management, the materials were reused as much as possible and recycled as well by redesigning the existing commercial premises into a gallery. Rather than rebuilding, the existing standing wall has been transformed into a climbing wall. In an effort to revive the lush green, the casting has been excavated and used as a gabion wall in the boundary fence. However, the entire playground has been segmented into a few zones such as the Main Field, Combined Play Area, Teenage and Child Play Area, etc. An uninterrupted walkway is also there for senior citizens and toddlers. One of the unique additions to the playground is the library. Playgrounds are a tangible reflection of the quality of life in a community. They provide citizens with a sense of identity and play a significant role in the perception of the quality of life in a given community.
