Fire-burn clay bricks have a long history. It is said that brick is the most primitive material in the construction industry. Although the most fertile part of farming land is used in the production of bricks, and due to its burning process, the emission of greenhouse gases causes serious air pollution. So, in the developed world, the use of fire-burn bricks has been stopped so long ago. But in a developing country like Bangladesh, we have taken a long time to understand this issue. In the recent year, finally, we realized that if we could not stop the use of topsoil in brick manufacturing, there will be no land remaining for cultivation for our future generation.
One of the main compliances of sustainable development is to adopt environment-friendly green buildings and to protect agricultural land. As a substitute for fire-burn bricks, different types of blocks are available in the market now. The topsoil of agricultural land is not used in the production of these materials and need not burn in the kiln at all and the construction cost of a building reduces about 26%. Yet the public has a little confidence in using this block. Many people still consider brick is the only type of construction materials, especially for the multi-storied building.
Zinda Park is a unique example of green building in Bangladesh. Zinda is basically the name of a village. This park was established on the willing participation and acceptance by the community people of Zinda village. The park is located in Daudpur union of Rupganj Upazila of Narayanganj district, near Dhaka city. The initiative of this park started in 1980 with five friends. It became possible only for the keen pursuit of these members. The park is not a so-called tradition park as we ever see. Zinda Park has been established in about 150 bighas of land aligning with the natural settings of greens and wetlands of Zinda village. There are two educational institutions in this park- a primary school and a secondary school. There are also libraries, mosques, markets, canteens. However, the interesting fact is that all the buildings in this park are made of alternative block and each of these structures is colorless, the color of the concrete block is its color.
Mr. Abdullah Al-Shaheen, the Secretary of Zinda Park told the story behind the development of this park. In 1980; a young boy Tobarak Hossain Kusum from Zinda village used to go to school every day crossing a long way since there was no school in his village. Since then, he planted a dream that he would convert the village into an enlightened ideal village. Later, four of his friends - Kazi Nasir Uddin, Shahadat Hossain Khokan, Kazi Mahbubul Alam Babul and Tabarak Hossain Akand - were joined to this effort. These five friends formed "Ognibina Students’ Forum and started saving 10 Taka per month. Later, many of community people were involved in their efforts. In 1985 the Students’ Forum turned into the Agropathik Palli Samity. Currently, there are about 5000 members in this association. Many underprivileged people from around 10 villages have been self-reliant with the help of this association.
Abdullah Al-Shahin was asked more about why alternative bricks were used in all the construction work of Zinda Park. He said, "The first reason for using alternative brick is that it is cost-effective; second, the block wall can control the temperature since there is a hollow inside. Ensuring a proper architectural design, adequate daylight and air supply can be ensured inside the building. Third, using this block does not have to be plastered separately and does not even have to be painted. Fourth, using the block, construction work can be done in the fastest time. Finally, this block is completely environment- friendly which is our main motto. Basically, for all these reasons, we chose blocks for construction. And due to the use of block, our total cost has been reduced around 30-40%”.
Mr. Shahin was asked how they made sure the quality and the payload capacity of Block. He informed that all the blocks were purchased mainly from the nearby block factories. The fact that they have learned during the verification process is that only the factories can produce blocks with standard verification certificates from BUET.
Saidul Hasan Rana, a member of Agropathik Palli Samity is the architect of all the architectural building at Zinda Park. Based on the demand of Zinda Park’s authority, he adopted concrete blocks in building this environment-friendly infrastructure.
Not only this, the Hollow Block will be used to all the upcoming projects and construction in Zinda Park, which will be built in the future. Visiting Zinda Park allows anyone who can see the aesthetic construction style possible through alternate bricks.
