First term handing hisham a muazzam reduced size

The Future

COMMUNITY - On April this year a garments factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed killing over 1000 people, most in the 30 year span of Bangladesh’s garments industry. Being from Dhaka myself this incident had an emotional impact on me, made me question the consumer culture we live in and how we don’t seem to comprehend the affects it has in the 3rd world nations around world.

I would like to speculate that the world in the future will simply make the gap between the consumers and producers much bigger and almost irreversible.

Therefore I feel as a responsible designer I would like to look into the working and living conditions of these garments workers in Dhaka, I plan to develop innovative architectural and spatial interventions which will help improve the current state of these garments workers and also look into the development of a more stable and invigorating living system which will help empower and enrich the lifes of these people and allow them to have a better and brighter life prospect for their children.

PROGRAMME - As my programme I plan to introduce a new typology of industrial built environment which is much more than a work place but a complete way of life where an industry reflects not only on the present but improves on the past for a better future. Workers live, work and learn while closing the gap between the consumers and producers to get involved with the workers through one - to - one sales interaction through public corridors that channel through and around the factory floor.

POLITICAL STRATEGY - To allow workers a closer relationship with the world consumer market as currently they are simply enslaved to feed the world demands. Give workers a more prominent role through selling to the local market as they only produce export garments. Selling to the local market will give them another opportunity to improve their life.

SITE - My site currently is focusing on Dhaka, Bangladesh but I feel it can be applied to any 3rd world nations like China, India, Vietnam and many more who face a similar situation.

Consumers v.s. Suppliers

This map is specifically focusing on the major 3rd world nations who are producing RMG (Ready Made Garments) for the 1st world nations around the world.

This cluster of South East Asian countries provide for all the major clothing brands from Nike to H&M. China-made garments now account for one fifth of the global market share, followed by Bangladesh who just became the 2nd largest garment exporter in 2013 and closely followed third, Vietnam.

BANGLADESH - 79% of all export incomes comes from the Garments industry - Garments factories produce 10% of the country’s GDP

Bangladesh Consumers Suppliers

Suppliers - Hourly Wages

These are the hourly wage rates in garments factories around the world.

Country

$7.58 - 9.11

$8.25 - 14.00

$0.24 - 2.73

$0.50 - 0.74

$0.21 - 0.93

Hourly Wage

United States $8.25-14.00 United Kingdom $7.58-9.11 Venezeula $2.73 Costa Rica $2.19 Guatemala $1.21 Colombia $1.20 Honduras $1.02 Philippines $0.94-1.00 China $0.93 Peru $0.92 El Salvador $0.92 Jordan $0.74 Malaysia $0.73 Nicaragua $0.65 Bahrain $0.57 Thailand $0.56 India $0.55-0.68 Mauritius $0.55-0.65 Vietnam $0.52 Egypt $0.50-0.87 Mexico $0.50-0.53 Sri Lanka $0.46 Pakistan $0.37 Indonesia $0.35 Cambodia $0.24 Bangladesh $0.21

Pay Grade - Breakdown

This simple diagram shows the price distribution percentage on a Garments Manufactured shirts in 3rd world nations.

This diagram is the basic reason why there is such a growing demand for RMG (Ready Made Garments) producers in 3rd world nations.

The extremely low labour cost in many of the 3rd world countries attract all the foreign buyers to allocate jobs to these factories.

50% RETAILER

25% BRAND

13% MANUFACTURER 11% TAX & TRANSPORT 1% FOR THE GARMENTS WORKERS!

Consumers & Producers - 2050 This simple diagram shows the price distribution percentage on a Garments Manufactured shirts in 3rd world nations.

Factories - The Producers

The Consumers

Outer Space Luxury Living

This diagram is the basic reason why there is such a growing demand for RMG (Ready Made Garments) producers in 3rd world nations.

The extremely low labour cost in many of the 3rd world countries attract all the foreign buyers to allocate jobs to these factories.

Selective Oppression

Media’s only version of Women’s Oppression.

Other forms of daily oppression in the name of Fashion and the Demand of the Rich. Justified?

The Number Predctions of 2050

NOW

World Population 7.1 Billion

Bangladesh Population 154.7 Million

Bangladeshi Garments Workers 4 Million

Major Consumer of Garments 524.6 Million

Female Workers 3.2 Million The Primary Consumer Nations 26%

Export Worth for Bangladesh

The Garments Factory produces 10% of Country’s GDP.

$20 Billion

17.5% 10% 8% 0.61% of people provide for the rest of the 99.4% of the popultion!

$27.4 Billion

2050?

World Population 9.7 Billion

Bangladesh Population 211.9 Million

Bangladeshi Garments Workers 5.48 Million

Major Consumer of Garments 718.7 Million

Female Workers 4.4 Million Based on research estimates of a possible increase of global population by 1.37 times, I have done a simple data extrapolation using the same number ratio in all the other fields of interest in my research.

Transition of the Industry

As time went, these industries become bigger and the cities became cramped. Poor hygiene in the cities and industrial pollution increased the spread of diseases. Cities soon bacame unliveable.

When the Industrial Revolution started in the 18th Century they were in the centre of cities. Cities grew around the industries and was the sign of prospertiy for any city.

Industrial Revolution Period

This lead the re-urbanisation and planning of new cities. Industies where send to the outskirts of the cities while housing and offices where placed in the centre. This was the solution for decogesting and reducing the pollution in the cities.

At Present

2050 ?

The 2012 Olympic Ceremony depicted the prosperous times during the Industrial Revolution period.

High density living together with pollution slowly started to impact the vision of industrial prosperity.

Now a days, cities are still following the zoned areas of urban city, subarban and industrial living. I think it might be time again to bring industries back to the heart of the city and once again celebrate the hardwork of the countries industries. It will again bring life to city living but in a responsible manner.

Factory Working Conditions - Safety and Health Problems

NOT ENOUGH DAYLIGHT Many of these factory buildings are very deep and often don’t receive any natural light at all especially further into the building, which impacts the workers health as well as their working efficiency.

OVERCROWDED Workers are often cramped into spaces to increase work volume, sitting on hard floors for 10-14 hours has serious health effects on the bones in the future.

NOT ENOUGH PASSIVE VENTILATION The deep buildings along with small windows also reduce the amount of natural ventilation taking place in the centre of the building. This often leads to workers fainting during the summer months when temperatures reach 30-40 degrees with 90-100% humidity.

LOUD MACHINERY NOISE AND HEAT DISPERSION The huge number of machines in the factory floors generate a lot of heat and at the same time a lot of noise, long hours with such noise also effects the workers hearing over time.

Factory Working Conditions - Security Grills/ Death Traps

Safety Grills are always used for security reasons.

Typical Apartment blocks are often converted to be used as a factories.

But these grills often become the reason of fire deaths in these apartment turned factory buildings.

Fire Escape - Facade Study

Factory Working Conditions - Security/ Safety Innovation

This exterior buffer zone can be used as a double skin facade to improve natural ventilation.

Natural Ventilation.

NORMAL USE - security grill and also can be used as solar shading device.

IN CASE OF A FIRE - Folding out fire escape stairs.

Factory Working Conditions - Security/ Safety Innovation

Model in motion.

Rack and Gear - Moving Floor Innovation - Components

Rack and Gear - Moving Floor Innovation - Components

Rack and Gear - Moving Floor Innovation - Components

Moving Floor Innovation - Flexibility and Adaptability - 3d Model

Initial Proposal of Innovations - 3d Model

Internal Courtyard - Natural Ventilation

Fire Escape Stairs

Interactive Shopping Street - Public Walkway

Public Stairs

Moving Floor Innovation - Tower Build Up Montage

Moving Floor Innovation - Tower Configurations

Evolution of Moving Floor Innovation - In Motion

Evolution of Moving Floor Innovation - In Motion

Updated Proposal of Innovation - 1:10 Model

LIVING - creating a community similar to those they have lived in the slums, allowing communal eating, cooking and sharing of life. Private sleeping quarters.

The RED block represents the building highway which will allow the floors plates to move up and down to improve flexibility of floor use and response to an adaptable manner to ever changing demands of goods around the world.

The area on the left of this dotted line represents the fixed elements of the design while everything on the other side can respond and move to allow introduction of new floors and vice versa.

Public Walkway connected to neighbouring office and shopping buildings.

This will allow the public to look into the nations most productive industry and get them to interact and celebrate this thriving work force.

There will be internal courtyards/ voids which will run along all the floors vertically to provide natural light and passive cross ventilation. Reducing the depth of the buildings will allow this to happen.

WORK - flexible working hours as the workers live in the same tower block, reducing travel times and thus increase family time at home.

TEACHING - taught life skills alongside proper education for adults and their children to improve their future potential especially for their children.

1:10 Model - The Moving Floor Components

1:10 Model - Conveyor Belt Components

Typical Living Condition - Factory Worker

Use of all floor surface area to accommodate sleeping arrangement for Multi- function floor use, dining, cooking and family time. large families.

Cooking in the same room, special ventilation openings are made to allow Again the use of window grills as part of a security precaution. excess heat and smell to be extracted.

Spending family time in the same room.

City of Dhaka Map - Building Use Residential Buildings Commercial Buildings Industrial Buildings Slums Government Buildings Waterways Agriculture and Greenspace Roads