A significant element of AUW’s mandate is to demonstrate through its design and construction a more environmentally sustainable way of building. The AUW campus will be a model for ecologically sound building practices and sustainability throughout the region. The design philosophies presented in the AUW master plan present a series of innovative design and construction practices currently undeveloped or underutilized in the region. AUW will serve as a regional catalyst for environmentally responsible design, as the need for conscious practices is ever increasing in the face of climate change, population growth, and the many resulting issues.
The site is a complex network of deep flood-prone valleys articulated by thin, fragile ridges that are susceptible to erosion. While this makes the site a spectacular setting for a campus, it also presents some formidable challenges.
The hills are formed of consolidated silt to hard shale, raised by geological fault action. Delicate flora covers the slopes, which become extremely lush following the rains of monsoon season. The root systems of these plants are important in stabilizing the topsoil from eroding. Local harvesting of vegetation, hillside bench cutting and the cutting of a city road have left the soil and the downhill slopes unstabilized and therefore prone to continual erosion and further degradation. With no restoration, revegetation or protection program in place, the site will undergo massive erosion during the heavy monsoon rains.
One of the goals of the AUW campus design is to revegetate these hills as a strategy for preventing erosion and a means to re-establish a native ecology that is under threat throughout South Eastern Bangladesh. By locating it in one of Bangladesh’s unique and endangered landscapes, and by applying local building traditions coupled with new technologies and design innovations, AUW has an opportunity to offer the country and region a new, sustainable building paradigm.
The academic buildings have been placed into the hillsides in part to act as retaining structures to support the fragile landscape. The buildings step in section to connect with the slope of the hillside. Separating the structure of the retaining walls from the structure of the buildings allows the two systems to be constructed independently (for phasing purposes). The breaks between the buildings, along the length of the valley, become a series of terraced gardens and stairs that allow the students and faculty to easily traverse the two levels. Circulation arcades, trellis systems and trees will provide natural shading, cooling and daylight filtration.
Portions of the valley would be allowed to be flooded during the monsoon seasons and therefore would contain only landscape and site elements that would not be affected by the rains. The pond at the west end of the academic valley will act as a reserve and fluctuate with the seasons, providing a constantly changing landscape feature. The primary retention pond at the east end of the campus is designed to maintain a constant elevation, with sufficient freeboard area to accommodate a rise in elevation during monsoons.
The AUW campus landscape design approach is based on observations of natural systems in the region, a cultivated ecology where energy is conserved, wastes are recycled and resources made abundant. The goal is to integrate natural and environmental systems with programmatic requirements, cultural heritage, and available construction technology. On a site such as this, it is critical that planting typologies be integral to existing and man-made landforms, site circulation, water conveyance systems, and architecture, and through this marriage create a sense of place, using regional practices as inspiration and as precedent. Native plant communities with seasonal displays of color and fragrance will be used to intensify microclimate characteristics and connect the students, faculty and visitors of the Asian University for Women to place, embodying the rich garden history, folklore and symbolic meaning that plants carry throughout South Asia.
Campus infrastructure development will include independent, environmentally sound on-site systems for water supply and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and electrical power generation. Net peak power load for the campus is estimated as 11 MW at full build out. While it is expected that power will be available from the local utility, the history of supply variability in the area mandates that a fully redundant gas-fired generating power plant also be provided on site, to ensure the quality and reliability needed to operate a contemporary university campus in accord with international performance standards. Solar photovoltaic systems will be utilized to the fullest possible extent as a supplemental power source.
Primary site access is via the main road from the east, with a secondary access from the north. Vehicular circulation to the majority of academic and residential buildings will be via a campus loop road, including fire and emergency access, with a dedicated service road supporting the academic facilities on the south side of the main valley. Key pedestrian routes through the campus will be clearly defined, fully accessible and attractively finished, well shaded, lighted and protected from rain, and will take advantage of the rolling topography to capture views of the site and the surrounding area. The site offers a natural visual boundary of ridges which establish a secure perimeter, to be reinforced with appropriate fencing and controlled access points.
