Haturia House

Architecture

This page contains architectural drawings of the house in its surrounding context, the floor plans, use of spaces, section, elevation and other details. Also, there are some abstract visual representations of the stories of special features through collage drawing.

Present surroundings

The house, built around 1920, is also called ‘Haturia house’ which is named after the zamindari area in southern Bangladesh where the family had an estate. The owner and builder of the house was a member of the then Indian Civil Service, and a prominent member of the old Dhaka elite. Known as ‘Baghbari’ (tiger house) this house is situated in the dense urban fabric of old Dhaka. The famous Sat Rawja mosque is situated on the south, and the east side is the busy Abul Hasnat Road with shops and restaurants.

View of the house in surrounding context

Transformation of the surrounding

The house with its compound and the original owners’ rich family history retains much of the flavor of old Dhaka as it was about a hundred years ago. Although there has been no physical change inthe structure, the spaces have been used for multiple purposes by the occupants. The transformation of the central hall from a family space to a spiritual space is the most significant change.

How the site was in 1920

How the site is in 2022

There has not been much change in the use of spaces within the layout of the house. At present, both the floors have unused or empty bedrooms, some rooms are also used as store rooms for keeping belongings of the previous residents.

Ground floor plan 1920

Legend: 1.Verandah, 2.Living Area + Family space, 3.Bedroom of the original Owner, 4.Bedroom, 5.Bedroom, 6.Bedroom, 7.Bedroom, 8.Bedroom

Ground floor plan 2022

Legend: 1.Entry Verandah, 2.Spiritual space, 3. Bedroom of the original Owner, 4.Living area + Dining room, 5.Bedroom, 6.Bedroom, 7.Bedroom, 8.Living area + Dining room

Use of spaces

The house was built with a big hall room for gathering purposes and six rooms for the original owner’s six sons. Over time, the hall room has been turned into a spiritual space and currently two families live on two sides of the house. There are separate bedrooms and living rooms on both sides. The room of the original owner has been kept intact with all of his belongings.

Use of spaces 1920

Legend: 1.Verandah, 2.Living Area + Family space, 3.Bedroom of the original Owner, 4.Bedroom, 5.Bedroom, 6.Bedroom, 7.Bedroom, 8.Bedroom

Use of spaces 2022

Legend: 1.Entry Verandah, 2.Spiritual space, 3. Bedroom of the original Owner, 4.Living area + Dining room, 5.Bedroom, 6.Bedroom, 7.Bedroom, 8.Living area + Dining room

Views through the building

A 'section drawing', shows a view of a structure as though it had been sliced in half or cut along another imaginary plane. These drawings show the internal layout and express the interrelation between interior spaces and exterior.

Section through the hallroom

Legend: 1.Verandah, 2.Hallroom

Section through the bed rooms

Legend: 1.Hallroom, 2.Bedroom, 3.Bedroom of the original owner

Exterior views of the house

The south view of the house depicts an architectural style closely following the Indo-Saracenic manner of Curzon Hall built in 1911.

View from south

Details of the house

Materials

The house has been built with simple materials with cement floor finish in most cases, but in some places, different color mosaic floors were used. For the special design for the owner’s room and verandah, masons were brought from Kolkata.

Windows and openings

One of the unique features of the house is its blue wooden casement windows. All the windows have patterned grills with wooden frames. The long windows have two vertical partitions with separate grills and frames.

Window details

The various kinds of openings - windows, doors, perforations, ventilators - have been photographed to give an idea of the type of building technology and materials used in the particular period that a house was built in.

Special features

There are some antique features in the house which reflect the unique characteristics of construction and lifestyle of the early times.

Artistic representation

This house has always had a special connection to the front porch and lawn. Although initially it was a green lawn, over time, the landscape has changed and there are large trees which provide shade to the area. From a double height interior hallroom, to semi open verandah to this open lawn, the progression of spaces are carried through detailed cusped arch openings.
The central hall of the house was initially designed for family gatherings but over the time it has transformed into more of a spiritual space. Since 1933, after being designated as a waqf estate, the hall room has been used for prayers and spiritual and religious rituals, sometimes for an individual, and at other times for a large group of people.
Originally built as a bedroom, the very same space has been transformed into a family space. Multiple connections- connection to the verandah, to the hallroom, to the bedroom on north, to another bedroom on south and to the outdoors expresses the flexibility of domestic spaces. Even, the depth of the walls have been utilized in various forms at present.

Exploring the house

A heritage building need not be a monument or landmark building; it can be representative of an epoch or period in the history of the city in many ways. Through this project, we have captured various perspectives in the form of virtual tours, timelines, stories, photographs, architectural features and locations.

Use the buttons belows to navigate to the details pages.

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Virtual Tour

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Timeline

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Stories

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Photos

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Architecture

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Location

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The project “Hidden Heritage: Homes in Dhaka” forms part of a larger research framework on “Silent Heritage: Buildings in Bangladesh” focusing on homes and other significant buildings, from the rural to the urban, and from the Mughal to the Modern.




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Dhaka, Bangladesh