REGISTRATION NUMBER: 038

Supporting System
In hilly regions, with unlevelled surface, the In the plateau or planar regions, where the land has On gradually sloped plains, a combination of both the
Bangladesh is a land of rivers. Coastal flooding, house rests on stilts. In such areas, the HFL
generally lies below the bottom platform.
levelled surface, the floating equipments can directly
rest on land and act as plinth for the superstructure
systems seems an ideal choice. The stilts act as support
during dry stage and the floating system as platform
combined with the bursting of river banks is common and severely during dry stage and as a floating platform during during floods. Hybrid System
affects the landscape and society of Bangladesh. About 80% of floods. Mean Sliding
landmass belongs to floodplain or is in proximity of coasts, rendering Flood Bamboo
the nation at risk of periodic widespread damage due to floods. Each Level Member A unique steel hollow column solves two purposes. It acts as a
1200 mm at rest stilt during dry stage and as a guiding pole during the floating
year in Bangladesh about 26,000 square kilometres (around 18% of
stage.
the country) is flooded, killing over 5,000 people and destroying more
than seven million homes.
Most regions in the country are flooded for a duration of 2-3 months. When the water level rises above the mean flood level
Non-Floating Condition
Along with damages to houses, this also causes disruption to (1.2m), the buoyancy system is activated. The raft is now
occupation for an extended period. The current methods of guiding in floating state. The bamboo column rise through the
hollow steel bars with the rising water level. The hollow
construction are not well suited for repair and construction of new
houses in flooded condition. A solution, empowering people by pole steel bars act as a guide post for the bamboo column. The
maximum height at which the structure can rise above the
improvising the vernacular way of building houses and continue their stilts+ ground level is about 2700mm. This level is above the
way of life even in flooded conditions is presented.
stilts guiding maximum flood level of the region i.e. 2300mm. A length of
A small village in Rangabali district, Flat Plains around 400mm of bamboo column is always remains
south Bangladesh. pole Sloping Plains inserted in the steel column even during HFL to ensure
This site has been used as a that the raft remains anchored and does not flow away
reference for design. Hilly Region Sliding with the water current. As the water level receeds, the raft
Bamboo
goes back to its initial non-floating position.
Highest Member
Flood lifted
Level
2300 mm

400 mm

Hollow
Steel
Tube

Floating Condition

Pre-Fabricated Grillage System

Using any type of standard drums as a floating material,
Construction Sequence the structure can be made to float during fooods. The
simple bamboo grillage system offers replacing and
adding drums as per requirement. No tying up of the
drums is needed as the bamboo members can sustain
the buoyant forces and keep the drums in place. This
helps in quick assembly and construction of raft. Also,
owing to its light weight and small size, it can be easily
tranferred and inserted directly into the steel supports.

Mono-Pod
Simple modular unit.
Starting supporting unit for further extention.
Possibility of arrangement in grid system
enabling personalised space design.
Step 6: Temperory shelter during extreme weather
Provide vertical bracing system to the supporting steel members at suitable location. 2000
conditions.
Pre-fabricated sub-parts.
Step 5:
Manual transportation of sub-parts on site
Once the floodwater recedes, remove the soil adjacent to the steel support and replace it possible.
2000 mm
by pouring concrete. This creates a fixed support for the structure. Assembly on-site (flooded/dry stage).
Stage 2: Dry Surface
2000 mm

mono-pod

2500

single user unit

Locally available Materials

Space Design: Step 4:
Personalised spaces depending on occupational Place a water-proofing sheet (tarpaulin) on the top supporting members. On top of it
600
place hay stacks as final roofing material and to create gradient to direct the rainwater
and family needs
away.

1500

triple family unit

Door

Window Step 3:
Fix the columns to the raft using ropes. Add vertical and hirizontal bracings to all the
Living/Working
surfaces except where provision of openings is made. Cover the vertical surface with
Space bamboo mats and create opening wherever required.

Cooking/Storage
Space

Open Space
single family unit double family unit

Housing Units

Connections
Shopping/working Units Step 2:
Point to point connection system by lashing or tying of
Transport the pre-fabricated grillage system on-site. Insert the bottom bamboo column
rope or string using locally available jute material.
in the hollow steel tube. Place bamboo mat/raft on the top horizontal surface to create
a working platform. The sub-parts of a mono-pod can be modified, repaired
and replaced even during use.
The connections at the joints can be removed easily
without distrupting other members of the structure.
Extremely cheap, user friendly and a traditional approach
of building connection joints.

Stage 1: Flooded Surface

Step 1:
Place the steel supports at 2m interval position. Insert the bottom end in the ground
using hammerring to ensure proper fixity . Stabilize the adjacent soil by compression
using hammering. Lap Joint: Bearing Joints:
Dowels/Pegs:
Along with roped connection, Full section culms are overlapped They are formed when members
pegs or dowels bars create by at least one internode and tied which bear against one another or
hinged connection giving together in two or three places. cross each other and transfer the
additional rigidity and improving e.g Column-column loads at an angle other than
shear strength of the joints. parallel to the axis.
e.g. Beam-column, beam-beam
 Dry-Stage Flooded Stage

Storage/Parking Space
Village / Community Centre Sanitation
Situated on high lands above the highest flood level, the community
recreational school
village centre has following characteristics: kitchen relief space Dry Stage Being a low income community, common toilets are
space
Stilted structure offering space provided. The pit toilet is constructed by digging a
Multi-purpose common space. hole in ground. The hole is lined with compressed
for parking boats and to store

10000 mm
Rescue and Relief centre.
Storage yard for flood relief materials. wood, bamboo, agricultural soil to prevent flood water flowing in. A squatting
Recreational common space for community. relief space produce,etc. slab is mounted on the hole. The discharge from two
Common boat parking area. open squating slabs can be collected in a single hole. The
Common goods storage area. assembly hole is lined with compressed sand to prevent waste
Shelter for small domestic animals. open water seepage. The lining also gives additional
storage space pre-fabrication
Simple Stilted structure with superstructure assembly Flooded Stage
space support to the hole, thus preventing it to cave in
similar to mono-pod units. space The boat and the other materials
Door under lateral pressure.
Window can now be stored in the
adjustible grillage system. The
boat and stored bamboo/wood
offer additional buoyant Specifications
rface properties to help the structure water
soil su flood
Diameter of Pit :
8000 mm float on floodwater. >1.2m
ventilation Depth of Pit: >3m
space Location: Higher Lands, away from
drinking water source
Lining: Sand envelope of 0.5m to
prevent groundwater
squatting contamination
slab stabilized earth
Maintenance: Removal of dried sewage
scum once in two years
HFL

ground water table

sand envelope
500mm
solid
waste

Sand Enveloped Raised Pit Latrine

shopping/working
unit

toilets

Movement
Frequent movement takes place between closesly
spaced necessary spaces such as toilets, grocery
shopping units,village centre,etc.
High Land
pontoon A bridge is necessary to connect them during floods.
bridge
A pontoon bridge constructed by joining boats together
Village Centre
and then placing a ramp on them for movement.
This bridge is adaptible to changing flood water levels.
Flood Water
The intra community movement during floods is
best suited using boats.
Each unit has provision for parking space for boats.
The local community itself should be the driving force for change.
Through the idea of providing a pre-fabrication
workshop, the local community develop the skills
involved in production process of their own homes as
well as other’s.
The floating platform mechanism
Pedestrian Movement empowers the them to build and live
even during floods.
Boat Movement
Bracing and anchoring the framed system
improves extreme weather resistance.
Local use of materials and traditional way of
building structures makes the process cheap and
easy.
To ensure the practical implications, improvising the vernacular
living systems is the way forward for the local communities of
Bangladesh.

Towards
Main
Land

REGISTRATION NUMBER: 038