Platform of Hope by Co.Creation.Architects

Khondaker Hasibul Kabir, co-founder of Co.Creation.Architects, shared in their FuturArc Interview: “The Platform of Hope project began in 2007 when I was teaching at BRAC University and looking for housing near campus. There were a few posh neighbourhoods around the university, but as a landscape architect, I often seek places with a piece of land to experiment and explore.

“However, finding an affordable place in Dhaka city was nearly impossible. The houses I found were too expensive. Then, right before my eyes, I discovered something astonishing—the largest slum in Dhaka, spanning 90 acres of land and housing over 150,000 people, right next to our university. It was a city within the city, a place ripe for learning.

“So, I decided to explore further. This place was surrounded on three sides by a lake, and I took a boat to reach it. What I found was a small plot of land covered in garbage and toilets. Yet, I saw potential in this space. I inquired if there was any room or house available for rent in the area, and a family offered me a tiny room—just 7 feet wide and 11 feet long. It was perfect.

“I began to make this space comfortable and started living there. I became like an uncle to many children in the area. We lived with this family and shared the gutters as our infrastructure. Instead of the waste-filled area it used to be, we started creating gardens. (…)”

[This is an excerpt. Subscribe to the digital edition or hardcopy to read the complete article.]

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