This multi-family condominium housing four families separated from their generations surprisingly offers abundant privacy unlike any other shared family residence
The beauty of Lake Hattergill is perfectly visible from every veranda, large windows and concrete frame. photo courtesy
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The beauty of Lake Hattergill is perfectly visible from every veranda, large windows and concrete frame. photo courtesy
A very distinctive feature of sub-continental social life – the joint family – has long disappeared due to urban growth. However, in the age of individualism and modern cities, some people are closely associated with their traditions and roots to this day, and express them through the homes in which they choose to live.
The late businessman, founder of Aziz Group of Industries, the family residence of Aziz Haq Chaudhary – Husni Aziz Villa, flawlessly imitates the common family home planning system of a typical Bengali village. Although the idea of huts, courtyards, ponds and trees, in the urban setting of our mega city of Dhaka, is unimaginable, Quest Design Studio was fully prepared to realize the concept.
Containing four separate families of different generations, this multi-family condominium unit surprisingly offers an abundance of privacy, unlike any other shared family residence.
“Unlike any ordinary dwelling, this dwelling looks a bit like an apartment building but is more than just a typical apartment building,” said architect Salim Altaf Biblop of En Quest.
The team considered this residence a vertical impression of the traditional family home in the village.
The building is located next to a large pond to the east with well-maintained ghat, pedestrian paths and a garden surrounding the pond. photo courtesy
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The building is located next to a large pond to the east with ghat, footpaths and a garden surrounding the pond. photo courtesy
The residence is built on a huge area of 2788.10 square meters, while the construction site area is 936.81 square meters.
In this five-storey apartment complex, each family has its own apartment on separate floors. Mr. Aziz chose the third floor for himself and his wife. After the death of Mr. Aziz, his wife lives alone in the apartment.
The apartment is on the second floor for their daughter. Two children from the Aziz family live on the fourth and fifth floors. These apartments are very spacious, measuring approximately 4,500 square feet, with plenty of natural light and glare-free.
This dwelling has two common floors. Each family lives on a different floor reserved for them. With many common spaces and facilities, the residence is designed and built according to the needs of each family member.
While designing the individual floor plans, the team followed a common but flexible scheme. As a result, each family can accommodate individual requirements within their own premises.
The team said, “We wanted to paint what our clients dream about. People dream about their home, because that’s something very close to someone’s heart. As architects, we just try to give life to their dreams.”
The family did not want any display of wealth, but rather wanted to depict interconnectedness, family bonding, and hierarchy. The team had to act with a humble approach to meeting their needs.
The basic principle of the family and the relationship between individual family members inspired the design team to create deeply rooted regional ideas and turn them into a building. In order to ensure this, In Quest introduced eight to ten approaches and then modified them according to the needs of Aziz-ul-Haq and his family.
Each floor has a large balcony with garden areas facing Hatirjheel Lake. photo courtesy
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Each floor has a large balcony with garden areas facing Hatirjheel Lake. photo courtesy
“We mentioned many times, that this would not be the Gulshan Banani house but rather a house in Magbar. Therefore, we had to keep in mind the local environment for both the exterior and interior design.”
Quest ensured ample circulation of natural light and ventilation within the individual apartments; The team paid special attention to the glare-free light as the building heads north towards Hattergill.
The huge land is adjacent to Hattargil, so they designed everything in such a way that the building was placed at some distance from the Hattargil road.
two-storey dwelling on the west, next to a large pond on the east with well-maintained ghat, walkways, garden surrounding the pond, and benches by the pond; Fishing on the weekends and evening walks with neighbors and guests were a common sight when Azizul Haq started his business while living in that house years ago.
Designing and building new infrastructure in the southern part of the plot while keeping the existing two-storey house intact, was a challenge. However, In Quest took a small portion of the pond for the new home while ensuring all safety measures. A new garden with pond and bar corner bar is now being built in front of the residence.
Aziz’s family has been involved with the neighboring community the entire time. A large semi-open hall on the ground floor facing the pond was designed to arrange the annual Mijban Festivals. The annual Mejban festival in Chittagong Samiti has been held for a few hundred people in this house every year over the ages.
There is a large prayer space beside the hall where all male family members perform daily prayers along with everyone else working for the family. “They wanted to preserve their traditions for life; this residence comes with every modern facility while enabling residents to practice their family traditions as well,” the In Quest team said.
A spacious, atrium-like courtyard separates the residential and public spaces. The extended lobby is like the country bliss of Bangladesh. Even family interior spaces such as dining and comfortable family living can blend in with the formal living area for visitors and guests which is separated by glass doors.
The rooftop has a large hall, lawn and other service areas such as swimming pool, sauna, washing area and solar panel. photo courtesy
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The rooftop has a large hall, lawn and other service areas such as swimming pool, sauna, washing area and solar panel. photo courtesy
Each floor has a large balcony with garden areas facing Hatirjheel Lake which are used during breakfast in the morning and as a tea corner in the evening, while enjoying the landscape and sunset. The balconies continued with the garden design up to the upper floor, forming a green, flowing nod from the grounds.
IN Quest took care of the interior design of the common space, including the ground floor, rooftop and two other floors. The floor of Azizul Haq and his wife has a retro look with their old furniture. On the other hand, his sons floors are designed according to modern interior design. One of the most challenging parts of the task for the In Quest team was keeping everyone’s choices in mind.
With an elegant and inviting appearance, the building has wood prison work in the prayer space, wooden floor tiles, wooden slots with straight line geometry, full height elevator lobby entrance door, special glazing for soft, glare-free daylight, wind flow along with green reflecting on the water The pool; all these elements and events together create an intimate and elegant environment.
Car park with living area for drivers, private lift for family members, variable cooling flow air conditioning system, water treatment plant in the basement – every modern facility is present in this residence. The rooftop has a large hall, lawn and other service areas such as swimming pool, sauna, washing area and solar panel. The building even has a future extension if the family needs more floors, it can grow with time.
The beauty of Lake Hattergill is perfectly visible from every veranda, large windows and concrete frame. However, the interior remains completely private, even the building is built in such a way that it is not visible from the side of the road.
Residents of Villa Hosni Aziz enjoy an open view of the lake in this dense urban city while spending a relaxing holiday in everyday life.
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