Designing for Resilience: A Studio-Based Study on Low-Cost Housing for Coastal Communities in Kuakata, Bangladesh

Purpose: This study explores how a studio-based, research-by-design approach can address the urgent need for affordable and cyclone-resilient housing in Kuakata, a disaster-prone coastal region of Bangladesh.

Methods: Conducted in partnership between Southeast University and the Old Rajshahi Cadets Association (ORCA), the project tasked architecture students with designing low-cost, disaster-ready homes for families in ORCA Palli-6. The methodology integrated community engagement, field surveys, and environmental simulations with material prototyping. Residents’ input was gathered through interviews and focus groups, informing spatial layouts and priorities. Autodesk Flow Design was used to simulate wind flows and pressures typical of cyclonic conditions, while material testing explored bamboo, compressed earth blocks, ferrocement, and hybrid bamboo-concrete systems. Validation was achieved through feedback loops with residents, expert juries, and comparative design reviews across four student groups.

Findings: Findings highlight that participatory processes combined with a simulation-guided design substantially improve resilience and affordability. Key strategies include clustered courtyards to foster social cohesion and climate regulation, staggered or diagonal sitting to diffuse cyclone winds, raised plinths with integrated drainage and pond swale systems, and hybrid material assemblies that balance cost efficiency with structural safety.

Implications: The project contributes practically by offering a replicable design playbook for NGOs, policymakers, and local organizations working in coastal Bangladesh.

Originality: Theoretically, it advances research-by-design as a method that merges community knowledge with experimental design and simulation to generate transferable insights. By aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 11, the study illustrates how architectural education can bridge pedagogy, practice, and policy to support resilient coastal housing.