Bangladesh is quite prone to flooding, with about 80% of the country marked as floodplain. With a population of around 170 million, this is quite a severe and serious problem for the country. To serve as a solution to this issue, the Khudi Bari was designed. The Khudi Bari is a low-cost raised tiny home that has been created to serve as an economical and safe housing solution against the flooding problem. Designed by Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum and in collaboration with engineers AKT II, the Khudi Bari has been elevated above the ground and must be entered via a ladder.
Designer: Marina Tabassum
The home isn’t equipped with wheels, but it can be easily assembled and disassembled, allowing it to be moved to a new location without the need for any special tools or expertise. This home will help the citizens of Bangladesh to evade the rising floodwater. Constructed from bamboo and prefabricated recycled aluminum nodes into which the bamboo is fitted, the humble home has an interior occupying around 64 sq ft to 144 sq ft. The walls and roof are locally sourced and built from materials such as metal and polycarbonate. The Khudi Bari includes one room, which includes space underneath, so you can expand it if the need arises.
The model home in the images is an installation in Vitra Campus, Germany. The Campus includes many stunning architectural designs including Renzo Piano’s Diogene. But the home isn’t simply a prototype, and 100 units have been delivered throughout Bangladesh already.
“It is an extremely low-cost, lightweight structure that can be assembled and dismantled by hand – without electricity or any other means of mechanical power,” said Vitra’s press release. “Marina Tabassum’s team has been building these houses in the chars [landmasses made from silt and sand] together with relief organizations and community groups, improving existential conditions for a vulnerable population living at the absolute minimum subsistence level. Over one hundred Khudi Bari have already been installed and more are yet to come.”
Currently, we aren’t aware of the exact pricing of the Khudi Bari, but AKT II said it is being produced for US$380, and they are trying to reduce the cost.
