1. A STUDY ON THE SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE
HOUSES OF PANAM NAGAR, SONARGAON.
Seminar Presentation on
2. cc
Sonargaon In History Of Bengal
Medieval Period(Muslim)
• Until the British realm, was a provincial metropolis, port city and an international trade center.
• Famous for the finest cotton named Muslin.
Modern Period(British-Colony)Ancient Period(pre-Muslim)
Boundary of Bengal
The existence of Sonargaon
Source: Banglapedia
(Reference: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003, Sonargaon-
Panam)
3. Sonargaon
map published in 1650 Ad
source-Asiatic society)
Sonargaon-In a Historical Map of the World Trade
Sonargaon In International Trade:
Territory of Bengal
(Reference: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003, Sonargaon-
Panam)
4. Location of Sonargaon:
• 27 kilometers to the south-east of Dhaka city.
• Surrounded by rivers on all four sides.
Architectural Significance of Sonargaon:
• A large group of historic monuments scattered
all over Sonargaon.
•Great range of variety in the field of
architecture and a long span of time. (Sultanate
to Colonial)
Mouza Map
Historic
Monuments(pre-
colonial)
Historic
Monuments(coloni
al)
References: 1. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003, Sonargaon-
Panam
5. Attracted the attention of the company in early 19th century.
• Small
township
Probably On the ancient village
Panam
Panam-an Unique Settlement in Historic Sonargaon
References: 1. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003, Sonargaon-
Panam
2. Taylor, J. A Sketch of the topography and statistics of Dacca, Calcutta, 1840.
• Panam Nagar is a Part of Historic Sonargaon that contains a large assemble
of secular buildings.
Socio-Economic History of Panam Nagar-
• The owners were originally traders, Shahas or Poddars.
• Gradually became Zamindars came there occasionally
only in ‘Durga-Puja’.
•Probably grew as a by product of commercial activities by
English East India Company.
• Renowned for the finest cotton of Sonargaon.
Cotton Industry of the east India Company beside
Panam.
Brennand W, 1872
(source: India Library, www.indialibrery.org)
6. Panam Nagar,(asiatic society)
•Present settlement Early 19th to early 20th century
• Well organized urbanization in a rural setup.
• ponds were used commonly.
• Protected by artificial cannels on all sides. Served sanitation purpose as well
Description of the Study Area: General Features of the Settlement
References: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003, Sonargaon-
Panam
7. The Street facing Buildings of Panam
Brennand W, 1872
(source: India Library, www.indialibrery.org) Present View
8. Type of Built Forms:
Following classification are seen in the Panam Houses.
Buildings of
Panam
Compound
Central
Courtyard Type
Street
Front
Central Hall
Type
Consolidated
Type
This Study will focus on the different types of Street front houses.
References: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003, Sonargaon-
Panam
10. There are 52 buildings in Panam Nagar.
4-Central Hall type.
5 Central Courtyard type
The rest are Consolidated type.
One atypical case is there, house no-5 which has
both a hall in the 1st floor and a central court.
Central Courtyard Type
Central Hall Type
Consolidated Type
Buildings of Panam Nagar:
11. Type of Buildings:
3 types of buildings. (ASB)
1. Central Courtyard Type-
House no-5,9,36,38 and 40.
2. Central Hall Type-
House no-1,2,5,16 and 26
3. Consolidated Type-
The rest of the buildings are of
this type, except few
cases.
Central court
Colonnade Double
heighted space
Single heighted part of the
hall.
12. • Buildings are described as residential in character. (ASB)
• Represent an unique architectural style- in terms of
i. Elevation and Ornamentation.
ii. Structural and Construction Detail.
iii. Spatial Organization.
• A group of highly ornamented buildings in enclosed form.
• Every building got the frontage of the road.
Physical Organization of Buildings:
13. Extensively decorated opening in the
street front façade, the other parts are
comparatively flat.
Elevation And Ornamentation:
Front Elevation
Ornamentation
14. Structure and Construction Details:
Kori- Barga Roofing Vaulted roof with brick and
lime plaster
Flat roof of brick
Column Floor Joint Brick detail Wall thickness
15. Spatial Organization
Double heighted hall staircase Linear Corridor
Central court backyard Veranda, the
transitional space
Roof top temple
Secondary entry in
the rear part
16. Possible Research Interests:
• Extensively ornamented façade.
• Different type of structural system.
• Highly mature plan layout but have lack of information about the functional zoning or spatial organization.
Architectural Research
Interest
Generic character of
buildings through plan
analysis
Typological character of
buildings by studying
elevation and
ornamentation.
Structural and
construction detail
analysis
17. Important Elements of Building Layout/Plan:
-Courtyards: single, multiple etc.
-Central Halls: double height
-Layering of Spaces: public and private space was separated by layers of rooms.
-Circulation pattern: accessibility, transition and connections by veranda and
corridors, stairs and rooms.
- Zoning: commercial and residential purpose in the same buildings, service &
served spaces, front back etc.
Focus of the Study: Spatial Organization
Morphological analysis by studying the building plans of Panam Nagar.
18. Issues Needs to be Investigated: Spatial Organization
1. Spatial organization within these three types of buildings And reason of this difference.
2. Possible Use in these buildings- Residential? Mixed use? Recreational?
3. External Influences- Regional? Foreign? Where is the root?
4. Genotype.
19. Chronological Development of Urban House Forms in this Region:
Consolidated Bungalow
Composite Bungalow
Influencefrom rural vernacular
architecture
Western influence of the colonial
rulers.
Enclosed Courtyard Houses
compactness Indicates urban need
Traditional Rural Houses
Single room around a court yard Multiplerooms
Reference: 1. Dr. Khan F.U. Colonial Architecture of Bangladesh, unpublished PHD thesis, Department of Islamic History, The University of
Dhaka.
2. A Study on Urban Housing, Imamuddin A.H, Unpublished Thesis, Masters of Engineering in Architecture, Katholic University of Leuven.
3. Multi-Court House of Old Dhaka, Haque, Ferdouse Ara, Unpublished Masters thesis, Department of Architecture, BUET.
Urban
House Form
Indigenous
Pattern
(the old city)
Fusion of
indigenous and
formal pattern
Formal
Pattern
(the planned
new city)
20. Type of Urban House Forms in this Region:
Urban House Forms
Introverted
Central Court
(Pre-Colonial/
Colonial)
Detached
Rural Courtyard
Houses
Enclosed
High density urban
living,
Multi-storied building
around a small court.
Rooms have multiple
functions.
Extroverted
(Colonial)
Composite
Bungalow
Consolidated
Integrate Living and
Service Part in a single
mass.
Reference: 1. A Study on Urban Housing, Imamuddin A.H, Unpublished Thesis, Masters of Engineering in Architecture, Katholic
University of Leuven.
2. Multi-Court House of Old Dhaka, Haque, Ferdouse Ara, Unpublished Masters thesis, Department of Architecture, BUET.
22. Problem Statement
• Compactness and Maximum utilization of space without any evidence of their use pattern.
• Highly mature and compact organization of buildings in a remote rural area draws
attention about the ‘Genotype of Houses’ of this settlement.
• The Courtyard/ Hall is a very significant part of the organization. The articulation of
spaces around the courtyard draws attention. How similar are they to other TYPES that
were evolved in this region?
• The Typology made by ASB doesn’t refer these buildings towards any known group of
this region.
(ASB-Asiatic Society of Bangladesh)
Research Rational:
• No remarkable study has been done yet to understand the spatial organization of these
buildings.
• Without understanding the morphological character of these buildings the history of housing
of this region would remain incomplete. So, it is necessary to decode these buildings to have
a complete understanding of the history of house forms of this region.
23. Research Question:
1. What are the interpretation of space within different types of buildings classified by ASB?
What are the basic organization pattern of the houses of Panam?
2. What is the origin of such a complex organization? Is there any influence of the urban
houses of this region on patterning the houses of Panam?
Objective:
• Try to explain the organizational pattern of different types of buildings of Panam Nagar.(
Considering the ASB research)
• Try to find out the origin of this collection of buildings by putting them in the broader range
of residential buildings of this region.
(ASB-Asiatic Society of Bangladesh)
Limitations:
-Lack of Information about the function of these buildings therefore spatial organization is not
clear.
- At present, Buildings are not accessible for physical survey.
24. Methodological framework
Literature Review
Research Question
Step-02
Analyze selective
case studies of the
urban house forms of
this region.
Step-01
Analyze selected case
of different types of
houses of Panam
Spatial Analysis through
Space Syntax
Field Survey and Cartographic
Record Study
Step-04
Analysis and
synthesis of
the data
Findings
and
Conclusion
To understand
the historical
background of
Panam Nagar
and the house
forms of this
region.
.
Development
of objectives
25. Case Selection:
Among them 6 buildings of 3 types are selected as Case Study
Source Number of
Buildings
Complete
Drawing
Incomplete
Drawings
Department of
Archeology
19 11 8
Asiatic Society of
Bangladesh
7 - 7
Unpublished
Sources
40 22 18
Accessible through
Field Survey
6 - -
26. Analysis With Space Syntax:
• Space Syntax encompasses a set of theories and techniques for the analysis of
spatial configurations.
• In this theory, spaces can be broken down into components, analyzed as networks of
choices, then represented as maps and graphs that describe the relative connectivity
and integration of those spaces.
• J-Graph Analysis is an analysis tool of Space Syntax which helps to understand the
spatial quality of a building.
• Founded on the study of the forms and arrangements of the buildings-Geometry and
Topology.
J-Graph can be used to analyze the buildings of Panam Nagar.
27.
28. Case Study-1
Building no: 27
Type: Consolidated
Storey: 2
Use Pattern: Not defined.
Ground floor plan
1st floor plan
Veranda
Rooms
Corridor
backyard
2
4
2
3
1
1
1
2
3
2
1
4
2
1
1
2
1
2
1
2
Lavatory
37. Case Study-4
Building No: 5
Type: Central Courtyard Type.
Storey: 3 storied.
court court court
Ground floor plan
1st floor plan 2nd floor plan
Room
Corridor
Veranda
lavatory
temple
1
1
1
2 1
1
2 2
2
2
3 3
4 4
5
5
6
6
7
8 9
1
1
2 2
3
2
RRA Tree
Depth Tree
38. Case Study: 5
Building no: 9
Type: Central Hall type
Storey: 2 storied.
Use Pattern: Not Defined.
1
2
1 1
1
2
1 1
2
Room
Hall
Veranda
Corridor
Depth Tree
RRA Tree
41. Possible Outcome:
• we may find a clue to reach to the origin of the secular built form of this
region.
• it can also give direction to the society of the affluent class of people who
were the patronize of the architecture of this region.
42. References-
1. Dr. Khan F.U. Colonial Architecture of Bangladesh, unpublished PHD thesis, Department of Islamic
History, The University of Dhaka.
2., Imamuddin A.H, A Study on Urban Housing Unpublished Thesis, Masters of Engineering in Architecture,
Katholic University of Leuven.
3. Multi-Court House of Old Dhaka, Haque, Ferdouse Ara, Unpublished Masters thesis, Department of
Architecture, BUET.
4. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, A Survey of Historic Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh. SHMSB-003,
Sonargaon-Panam.
5. Taylor, J. A Sketch of the topography and statistics of Dacca, Calcutta, 1840.
6. Steadman, JP, Architectural Morphology, 1989.
