State Minister for Housing and Public Works Sharif Ahmed on Wednesday visited the Bangabandhu Tri-Tower Project site at Purbachal New Town area to see the progress of the project. During the visit, Syed Qamrul Islam, Chief Operating Officer and Director (Operations) of Consortium of PowerPac Holdings and Kajima Corporation, briefed him about the project’s progress.
Housing and Public Works Secretary Shahid Ullah Khandaker and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (RAJUK) Chairman Syed Nur Alam accompanied the state minister during the visit. The consortium got allotment of a total of 114 acres of land in Sector-19 of Purbachal New Township Project from RAJUK, the development authority of capital Dhaka, to build the new commercial hub through an open auction in 2018.
Syed Qamrul Islam, commenting on the project, said, “The CBD will be constructed at a cost of Tk 96,000 crore. Out of the total amount, already foreign investment promise worth Tk 60,000 has been received. Construction materials worth Tk 30,000 crore would be used in first two years of the construction, which surely would make a positive impact on our overall economy.”
The Groundwork for CBD now is in progress, he added. It will have a total of 42 skyscrapers, including a 473-metre tall 111-storey iconic Legacy Tower, wherein the 96th floor will be dedicated and symbolise the journey of Legacy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 71-storey Liberty Tower will represent the Liberation War of 1971 and 52-storey Language Tower will represent the Language Movement in 1952. The three towers has been named as Bangabandhu Tri-Tower.
The Proposed Bangabhandhu Tri-Towers layout has been designed to enhance the symbolism behind 3L’s: Language, Liberation and the Legacy. The top of the proposed Bangabhandhu Tri-Tower design shows elements of Shaheed Minar aimed at raising the tower’s status. The Bangladesh flag motif was applied to the damper design on the top floor. Matching design was designed with the motif of the National Monument of Bangladesh Jatiyo Sriti Shoudho.
The 473 meters tall Iconic Tower will be the World’s 5th tallest build. Of the other skyscrapers, each will have a height equivalent to a 40-storey building, sources said, adding that a large convention center will be established to create a convenient location for traffic which will lead to global business tourism resources. The world class commercial zone arranged in conjunction with the convention is to induce tourist clusters of foreign visitors. Bangabhandhu Tri-Tower complex in the CBD consists of world class residences, retails, hospital, and community facilities.
The CBD’s landmark role is to secure an excellent perception by providing river view that in turn opens more natural feelings creating a pleasant environment by connecting tower with nature. A modern & Hi-Tech protection wall will be established. This protection wall will contain elevated walkway, jogging and cycling track around the CBD. This protection wall will serve as a boundary wall for the CBD, which will give the experience of an aesthetic view and modern lifestyle.
The entire project, having land area of 114 acres, will have an approximately buildup area of 47 million square feet (SFT) and this will have a sustainable smart lifestyle with 55% kept as open space by connecting green and blue network.
Solar glass will be installed outside all the buildings. The solar glass is composed by several lights. The photo active cell on the glass absorbs the sunlight that transforms the energy to power the building which reduces the utility cost and increases energy efficiency. An automatic waste-management system will be put in place in the CBD to maintain the urban hygiene and upkeep of the cityscape.
In order to protect the public utility facilities such as the water supply, sewage system, electrical lines, and communication systems, an underground common duct system will be implemented. This common underground duct will give safety by providing stable power, steady water supply and uninterrupted communications to all citizens of the CBD.
Waste will be collected from every building efficiently by a garbage-discharge system. Through the common underground duct, buried in the lower part of the road, these wastes will be delivered up to the central waste-to-energy plant. Taking into consideration the flood level, a proper water drainage system will be put in place. Concentrating harvesting rainfall and rainwater a grit chamber is being planned to be incorporated with an effluent treatment plant. An intelligent traffic system will also be initiated which will be designed for each road and will function as a safe and convenient traffic information system.
Road planning has begun for the inner wireless, charging, and pollution-free electric bus within the CBD area. The magnetic field generated from the electrical wires embedded under the road will be retrieved by a collector installed at the bottom of the bus. This will be converted into “electric energy.”
The Underground Ring Walkway that will circulate the entire CBD is planned to be centered on the Bangabandhu Tri-Tower. This will create an active and live connection between the surrounding blocks, without having pedestrian traffic and congestion within the streets of the CBD.
Purbachal Central Business District will achieve an urban economic growth as a new business hub and will serve as an icon of growth that will create a new lifestyle by providing the functions of a smart city and bring the new future for Bangladesh. This will be the stepping-stone of Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s journey of legacy toward the developed country by 2041.
Soon after receiving the allotment of the project, PowerPac officials said they signed a contract with Chinese firm – Power China International Group Ltd & Energy China Ltd to appoint them as the construction contractors while world’s seventh largest architect company South Korean Heerim Architect and Planners Co Ltd was engaged as the project architect. French firm Archetype Construction Holdings Ltd was engaged for construction and project management while Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) for soil test mobilization and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) for Project Feasibility Study, Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) and Socio-environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA), they said.
PowerPac officials expressed the hope that the Central Business District (CBD) will play a vital role in meeting the growing demand for commercial spaces in Dhaka city where many business houses are operating in residential areas due to inadequate commercial spaces with necessary facilities.