A Climate Adaptive Learning Center for the Vulnerable Southern Coastal Communities

The coastal areas of Bangladesh are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters due to their geographic location, low elevation, and climate conditions. Climate change and sea level rise have made such disasters more frequent, significantly impacting education, with many students dropping out of school due to losing their homes and lands. Poverty, migration, child labor, and child marriage are common consequences of these disasters. The lack of proper infrastructure, including damaged school buildings and the absence of secondary schools, is also a significant factor contributing to a decline in the quality of education and higher dropout rates in these vulnerable areas. COVID-19 school closures have exacerbated the situation, leading to an increase in existing socio-economic problems. A learning center for the children of these vulnerable communities must address all environmental, social, and economic factors to keep the students continuing their studies. The spatial and functional needs of these schools are different from other schools as they also serve as community centers and cyclone shelters. The research aims to empower vulnerable communities in coastal Bangladesh by addressing the complexity and barriers of education and developing their capacity to adapt to climate change. The project targets three coastal districts of Bangladesh and proposes a typological solution for different contexts through three unique built forms designed in a modular approach. The proposed self-sustain multipurpose module can be attached to any existing structure as well as developed into different built forms. From the analysis of the geo-climatic vulnerabilities, climate adaptive strategies have been proposed. Form compactness, traditional adaptive measures, layered plantations, consideration of rural introverted spaces, community centers, and shelters, along with many other parameters, have shaped the architectural interventions implemented in this study. The study findings are expected to provide an adaptive solution through system design and architectural interventions that have practical implications, helping vulnerable communities to improve their livelihood.