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Dhaka – A polluted swamp in Bangladesh is set to be transformed into a green university. BRAC University will showcase sustainable, low-tech solutions, including natural cooling and vertical gardens.

The Bangladesh-based nonprofit organization BRAC has plans to transform a polluted swamp in Dhaka into a green university. Designed by Singaporean architecture firm WOHA, BRAC University will be “a beacon of environmental and social sustainability as well as a catalyst for positive change in the local community”, according to an article on Inhabitat.com.

Scheduled for completion in 2021, the university will accommodate over 10,000 students, while also showcasing sustainable low-tech solutions to combat Bangladesh’s hot summers and heavy monsoons. 

The 13-storey university will be covered in 26,000 square metres of landscaping to cut out glare and dust, and to promote natural cooling. Its rooms will be based on structural modules to allow for flexibility, and every room will have access to ventilation and daylight. On the roof there will be a large park with a recreational field, a swimming pool and a 200-meter running track beneath a large photovoltaic canopy. The harvested solar energy will be used to power giant fans, common area lights and student laptops. 

As for the swamp, it is set to become a bio-retention pond to create a cool microclimate through evaporate cooling.