Department of Interior Design

Shanto-Marium University of Creative Technology

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Course
Module Title
Module Leader

: MA in Interior Design
: Style and Culture in Interior Design
: Ar.A.F.M.Mohiuddin Akhand

Lecture-02
PANAM NAGAR
Contemporary urban design is about creating a sense of place and place making.
Spaces become places
through their use by people]. Much of the unique character of historic cities comes from
the details of
their urban fabric - pattern of land use, variety of architectural styles, and local
activities, because they arethe sum of many interconnected part

Background: Panam Nagar

Panam Nagar an ancient locality now in Sonargaon thana of Narayanganj district,

about 2.5 kilometre to the north of Dhaka-Chittagong highway at mograpara point.
It is said to have been the site of Hindu capital city of sonargaon emerging in the
last quarter of the thirteenth century. By virtue of its location on the confluence
ofthree major rivers, Sonargaon acquired great importance as an inland port, connecting
ancient Bengal withMiddle East and Far Eastern countries.
Panam Nagar came into prominence in the later part of 19th and early 20th century,
when a cloth trading centre grew up under the influential Landlords. The cloth
merchants came from various places such as Kolkata, Patna or Mumbai. These wealthy
Hindu merchants,titled Sahas and Poddars, built their exquisite residences in a beautiful
setting in Panam Nagar.The Panam area formed part of the Muslim metropolis
developed on the south of the old city, and perhaps constituted the place of
residence of the early Muslim governors.

Panam had altogether been a Hindu populated area. The migration of the Hindus to
India after the Indo-Pak War of 1965 has reduced Panamnagar into an empty
township.

Lay-Out of Panam City

Panamnagar, a unique township, stretched in a single street 5 metre wide on the
average and 600 metre in length. All the buildings have the character of urban
street front houses and are lined up on either side of this street which ends up at
the Panam bazar. Fifty two houses exist in dilapidated and disused condition having
31 in the north side of the street and 21 on the south. Panamnagar appears to be
well protected by artificial canals all around. Two fairly wide canals run parallel to
the street on its either side and joined by a narrow canal on the western side over
which is the entrance bridge. On the eastern side, the canal on the south swerves
rightward and goes eastward crossing the north-south road that passes through the
Panam bazar. The northern canal, the Pankhiraj Khal, runs eastward to meet the
Meghna-Menikhali stream.

Building Typology

Building Type

Interior Courtyard

Central Hall

Central Hall

According to building layout design the dwelling houses of Panam can be classified
into three basic typologies: central hall type, central courtyard type and
consolidated type. The central halls being the nerve centre of the houses are highly
romanticised with extensive decorations. The building activities and layout are
arranged around the courtyards which are essentially enclosed, paved and open to
sky. In general the courtyards are surrounded by verandah on all sides having
arched openings. Consolidated typology refers to those houses without any inner
court or hall. Most of the houses, particularly the single storeyed ones, belong to
this typology.
The building layouts in Panamnagar are both detached and attached types, mostly
rectangular in shape and elongated in the north-south direction. Height of the
buildings varies from single to three storeys. A shared use of backyard facilities
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among the adjoining houses can be observed from the layout of pond, ghat, well
etc. The buildings follow a pattern language by which a unity has been achieved,
like the use of two or three storey height, symmetry, arched openings etc. On the
other hand variety has been achieved through the introduction of verandahs,
balconies, loggias and porches. The crowning of the buildings with decorative
parapet and projected cornice fascinatingly interlocks the structures with sky in the
backdrop. The decorative treatments were transposed from European architecture
and blended in places with local motifs.

Construction

Brick Arch
Brick Arch

Balusters

Bricks of Panam, the prime construction material, have been modeled in different
shape like rounded, angular, arched, pointed, semi-circular, curvilinear etc.
according to the need of surface articulation. The thickness of brick masonry walls
vary between 50 and 70 cm. Roof stands on rafter and purlin made of wood in most
cases. False wooden doors and windows shaped with plaster are also applied as a
common decorative element. Cast iron brackets, ventilators, window grill, balusters
have been extensively used. The use of broken China, locally known as chinitikri, is
almost common in interior decoration while its stray application is visible in exterior
decoration. Decoration elements have been extensively applied in the space
between the arch and ceiling.
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Cast-iron Brackets

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Module Lecturer: Prof. Ar.Mir Ashrafur Reza
B.Arch(BUET).M.Arch, USA