Imagine being able to spend a peaceful evening with your loved ones in the middle of Dhaka’s hectic city life, where indoor and outdoor areas flow together to form a kid-friendly environment. And now, in O’play, it’s all come to life.
O’Play A playful combination of colours and spaces
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Tradition Wrapped In Modernity: Terracotta Tales
In the fast-moving pace of Dhaka city, do we not all feel the need to slow down, away from the chaos, experience the presence of the surroundings, and stay in the moment? Inside the premises of the Tejgaon branch of Aarong, Terracotta Tales pays homage to the local craftsmanship. It is a place dedicated to the warm and sentimental dishes and the comforting and heartfelt ambiance that make us long for home. Rafia Mariam Ahmed, principal architect of Hive Architects, designed this beautiful restaurant having intimate dialects with details. When an individual experiences space, what does make one recall it? What works there is the phrase: “design is in the details.” The goal of embracing details is to get you to think critically and present the best possible solution —right from the beginning. That is why details are important. They can keep us coming back, or they can keep us from coming back. And definitely, that comes from a good number of researches. Terracotta Tales is one such location where traditional village home details are infused into a minimal modern portrayal. Terracotta Tales and the adjacent bakery, Dough Diaries, are in a joint venture with Aarong. They are one of the restaurants under the Emerald Restaurants, with other operational restaurants being: Thai Emerald, The Red Chamber, Grove, Trouvaille, Gusto, and Emerald Bakery. The structure the restaurant belongs to was initially designed by Vitti Sthapati Brindo Ltd. alongside the Aarong outlet. The outlook of the structure, starting from the large openings, landscape, and interior to the detailed texture on the outer surface – all were later added as the journey of designing this tale began. The theme and menu of the tale were to be Bengali cuisine, from where conceptualisation of the space began. “I started going back to our roots of being a Bengali. I wanted to pick the elements so rich with history, which had been used daily in our culture, for so many years, and blend these elements with modernity. I wanted to design a space that would take us back to where we belong, a place more oriented towards slow living,” Ms Rafia shared. The space is an abstract representation of a mud house, the softness of which is found in the details of rounded corners of walls, doors, and windows. The unevenly matte polished surfaces with raw, warm earthy colours take you to the affection of the rural aura. Even at night, the lighting is as such to create the ambiance of a warm-toned hue of “prodeep” (dimmed fire lamp). The centre light pieces are delicately handwoven cane shades. Terracotta has been used in many details of this space. In the shade of the walkway, with that of the semi-outdoor space on the rooftop, and the centre of attraction is the wall of the stairway that leads to the rooftop dining. The wall is composed of thin slates of terracotta tiles arranged in triangular patterns, which creates dialects with the light from the sky at different hours of the day. The lanterns used in the rooftop space are also custom-made of burnt clay. As clay is a vital component of humans, country, and roots, the concept and name were associated with terracotta to represent its power of affection. Tales of local artists and craftsmen were incorporated into the design by the use of cane lanterns and clay lamp shades and the famous “Tepa Putul” (a local handmade clay doll of a specific style). Potters and artists made larger sizes of these usual small-scale dolls that are placed on niches as commonly seen in the mud houses. Framed rustic metal jewelry and decorative mirror are added to the wall to represent the daily used materials in a rural mud house. The landscape is designed to wrap an individual with nature. The restaurant is pedestrian-only, with no vehicular connectivity directly, focusing on the practice of being close to nature. The walkway has a beautiful line of bamboo trees on one side and specifically selected floral trees on the other. There is also an outdoor sitting area where the hard surface meets the green in an undulating line. A small body of water curves along the structure is an abstract form of “pukur” (a pond) as commonly seen in the rural context. Ms Rafia said, “The mere attempt was to get out of the edged effect of modern city life to a more mellow and soulful experience – Where one can only indulge in the presence of themselves, the company, and, of course, the food. The trees shed flowers and leaves, creating an inviting bed of nature for the people exploring the outdoors. The curved walkways toward Dough Dairies also give you a feel of the rural memories.” The subconscious nostalgia with the cane-woven furniture details makes one reminisce childhood memories from the ancestral homes. The utility area has been partitioned with cane-weaved partitions to camouflage it in the interior. The wooden curtain rails and the door handles add value to the theme, complementing the colour palette. A few subtle colours are added by using a floral print material on the back of the seats, preventing the guests from feeling monotonous. Old ceramic plates are decorated on the wall, making a spectacular composition of colours, history, and belongingness. On a bright sunny afternoon, when the sun kisses the shallow water next to the large window with curtains of translucent softness, the sheening glitter of the rippling water reflecting on the ceiling catches one’s attention while being indulged in the nostalgic local cuisine. The soul runs through the handcrafted details and the softness of the ambiance makes one feel warm, cozy, and at home. The modern city crowd is so much more over-oriented towards a captivated lifestyle that even a natural splash of water becomes a form of irritation. Terracotta Tales is a space to celebrate that naturally unnatural necessity of life that people are slowly getting carried away from. Authored by Rehnuma Tasnim Sheefa
Basking in Rome’s Sun In Dhaka
Residing in a quiet corner in Dhaka’s Gulshan area, one can find a mini-Europe as soon as s/he spots Raffinato. “Raffinato Ristorante Italiano” – just by seeing the name, one can already sense its Italian essence. At the first glance, I noticed a cozy, two-story white house with an L-shaped stairway leading to a small balcony, which gave more of a European home vibe.
Reminiscing the memories in new urbanscape SHERATON DHAKA, BANANI
Since the 90s, Sheraton has been one of the prominent names in the luxury scene of Dhaka city. Many of us have fond memories of weekend morning strolls and fun with parents near the poolside landscapes. As the city grew, so did the urbanscape, the economy, and hence a shift of luxury being more contemporary with the time. Sheraton Dhaka in a new location in Banani is an excellent example of the recall value of a brand. The interesting friction with the prior location is that the city dwellers are still getting familiar with and accepting the nostalgia within the new vertical opulence. The contemporary and trendy expression is a boon to the new generation of entrepreneurs and business enthusiasts, alongside the youth crowd. The location of Banani is in a merging mesh of formal and informal zones, may it be corporate offices with the big business companies or a hub for youth to hang out and collaborate. “The new business model of the brand is to connect these dots,” shared Md. Al Amin, Hotel Manager and In-charge of Sales and Marketing. He also added, “Sheraton’s slogan is ‘Where the World Comes Together’ and Sheraton is community which is about ‘We’ rather than ‘I’.” A premium hotel is not just about a beautiful architecture or posh interiors serving the brand value, but the services and how the functionality works. One of the basic guidelines for any hotel is to design the circulation and utility of the spaces. As we visually experience the front of the house and its ambiance, the back of the house provides smooth services subconsciously yielding ease. Since 2016 the 81 years old operating Sheraton Brand became a part of Marriott International. This shift has been an improved revamping session for the brand protocols. As per the brand guidelines, all the designs are executed. High-end and prominent local architectural consultants and a Singaporean design consultancy firm collaborated with the Marriott International design and management team for the execution process. The active participation and suggestion of the local owner, a seasoned hotelier, added value to the output. The hotel has a gourmet café called Toastina, a buffet restaurant and alfresco named The Garden Kitchen, On the Rocks -a whiskey bar, and a high-end Japanese restaurant, Yumi. One of the biggest column-less ballrooms in the city, spanning approximately 8000 square feet. A club Lounge for Club Room Guests and for top-tier Marriott Bonvoy members, a gym with the best city view, spa facilities, and many other support features of a modern and upscale hotel. Marriott International is specific about the arrangement as they achieved the class over the years. Everything is per the standards, from the washroom amenities, mattress, and bed linen to the kitchen layout and room sizes. The restaurant has all freshly imported ingredients to maintain the quality. The hotel is a no-smoking zone. Due to the new branding value of communal developments, the sitting arrangements are for a larger group of people. “Sheraton being a full-service hotel does not just limit itself to bed and breakfast, but rather the ambiance ambiance and overall experience of the service. Sheraton has one of the largest hotel footprints overall within the Marriott’s Brands. Sheraton considered as a flagship in the Dhaka is region,” shared Mr. Al Amin. In an Exclusive Interview with Daniel J Muhor General Manager, Sheraton Dhaka 1. As per the memories of the 80/90’s people and kids, luxury hotels meant the Pan Pacific Sonargaon (existing) and the Sheraton Dhaka, at the present premises of Intercontinental. That shift of nostalgia from a lawn-based architecture to an urban upraised scraper. How do you feel this change is appropriate? There are advantages and disadvantages. People are experiencing a positive shift, just at times struggling between the present and previous location, but still adaptive. For better reference, we are addressing it more emphasized as Sheraton Dhaka, Banani. People are responding to the recall value of the brand. As the land occupancy is getting concentrated in Dhaka city with land as such from Banani, one of the most expensive ones in the world, it is tough to plan the layout horizontally. The location shifted alongside the architectural style from horizontal to vertical planning. Having the fact of generating revenues, every square foot matters. If land such as in Banani gets used for urban landscaping and ground-level outdoor spaces, it would have been tough for the owner to generate revenues. But we have kept an open alfresco area that serves as an outdoor landscape, and at the top, the poolside area adds to it as well. And the panoramic views as you go up the floors add a new experience. Overall, we feel it is an urban retreat within the hassle and bustle of the city. 2. Most people are observing the contrast between Banani supermarket and a five-star rated hotel. How was the selection of the property made keeping such an interesting combination? Initially, the Banani supermarket was a worrying factor. But the existing structure has been a great fortune. The podium coverage that we have is approximately 44000 square feet. And there are lots of examples of shared land-use systems of commercial spaces worldwide. Many premium hotels are operating this way. The owner is investing to improve the ambiance to smudge the contrast. Hence, the supermarket is getting upgraded, increasing its value and the property value parallel. The lower few levels of the market are louvered from outside. The entrance is more decorated, providing a better experience for the people visiting the market. The roots are important too, and the addition of Sheraton will cocreate the landmark. The users need help to be educated about the usability of the facilities in a better way. 3. Hotel and their hospitality differ in many experiential and served ways. How Sheraton, Dhaka is planning to be exceptional in this developing range of upcoming hotels? The hotel’s one of the best-selling points is one of the biggest pillars less ballroom, in a busy