Site Plan with a clear vision for the future

Rajshahi University

Campus Planning

Grand facilities for the university were planned

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Rajshahi University Campus Plan as prepared by Daniel Dunham at Berger Engineers showing formal entry drive
from road on south, train station on north, recreational and open space buffer between academic and residential blocks,
paradise garden shaped botanical garden with mosque in center located at apex of entry drive vista corridor.

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 Rajshahi University Campus Planning

Rajshahi University was in existence in the city of

Original concept layout preserved large expanses of open land and
mango grove
Rajshahi since 1953. With the University Act of 1960,
approximately 300 hectares of land was acquired
outside the city limits to set up a new campus. With a
train station on the north and a road access on the
south, the campus was to act as a semi-residential
university. It was anticipated that while most of the
students would come to campus from the city by train
and bus, some residence halls and staff housing on
campus would need to be provided on the campus.

Among the list of buildings proposed for the campus

would be the administrative building, library,
conference center, science and arts faculties,
Tree-lined streets and entry drives auditorium, medical center, stadium, swimming pool,
mosque, botanical garden, student and staff housing
complexes.

Dan’s first assessment of the site was to make a

compact campus with all the facilities within walking
distance. A grid of 1000 feet which corresponded to 5
minutes of walking distance was laid on the site.
Another assessment Dan made was to save a large
mango grove on the site. With the administration
and library building centrally located off of the
ceremonial entry drive from the main road, a
systematic layout was placed on the site with
buildings in first phase located nearby with outward
future expansions to be done in tandem.

The stadium and sports facilities were used as a

Sports facilities were used to buffer the academic blocks from
residential quarters
buffer between the academic functions and housing
blocks. The botanical garden was laid out in a classic
Moghul pattern with the mosque occupying a
prominent central location. Botanical gardens are
typically laid out in irregular pattern by letting
planting groups determine the shape. Daniel Dunham
arranged the botanical garden in the shape of a
formal Paradise Garden with the mosque occupying a
focal central position in the middle of it.

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Rajshahi University Central Library Photo: Daniel Dunham
Proximity to river was taken into account during planning phase and buildings were placed on raised floors to guard
against floods.

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 The vehicular link between the train station, bus stop
and the campus was placed on the periphery to keep
the internal movement mainly pedestrian. The campus
was designed as a set of departments interconnected
by pedestrian walkways. In an effort to use less land,
Dan proposed two and three story buildings to house
the students, library and various departments. The
linear 3-story dormitory building with facilities for
meeting, mosque and dining faced the street at the
southern edge of the campus

Multi-story housing units to preserve open land
The new and open land for the campus at Rajshahi
University offered Dan a clean slate to plan a proper
campus right from the beginning. Proper scale and
orientation of buildings with room for logical future
growth was built into the proposed site plan. Vista
corridors from main entrance and intersecting plazas
were maintained. The visitor could see the science
museum and mosque beyond the plaza and walkway
past the entry court of the administrative wing.

The individual department buildings could be reached

Notes from1993 M.F. Dunham’s campus
by pedestrians via a set of interconnected plazas. The
library and convention hall were placed in close
proximity to the department buildings near the main
entrance. The layout and grid pattern was reminiscent
of Moghul garden setting.

The classroom and residential buildings were all laid

out in north-south orientation to have solar and wind
gains. The residence of the Vice Chancellor was
ceremonially located in the center of a formal Moghul
style garden. With the entire academic, sports and
administrative functions within a rectangular street
layout, the residential halls and staff quarters were
placed on the outside in the open landscape. Adequate
room for future buildings was allocated and all future
Today’s plan buildings were envisioned to be multistory units to
preserve the open space between them.

Rajshahi University Campus planning showed Daniel

Dunham’s logical approach to solving today’s problems
with room for future growth. Cultural sensitivity,
arranging buildings to function in the local climate were
of paramount considerations in his solution. Each
building group was designed to have its own identity
within the overall campus plan.

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Campus Plan analysis

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