Project Description

Particulate matter is constantly released into the air in Dhaka due to car emissions, construction dust, and dry roadside surfaces. For street kids, this pollution is ongoing rather than sporadic. They are the most exposed group in the city because their lives are lived at ground level, sleeping, working, and moving next to traffic. Long-term dust inhalation causes infections, asthma, and decreased lung function. The project views air as a daily physical experience rather than as an environmental statistic.

“BREATH BOX”

Since the presence of children and pollution density overlap along main routes, the cube is placed there. The project intervenes where exposure occurs rather than moving kids. By capturing contaminated air before it travels farther and providing a small area of cleaner air where kids naturally stop and congregate, the building serves as a roadside lung.

The Operation of Dust Filtration

In order to catch dust-heavy air at its source, three intake locations face traffic and pedestrian movement. Smoke residue, tiny dust, and big particles are captured by the air as it travels through layered filtration chambers. After cleaning, the air is let out into the breathing pocket inside. Because the ducts and filters are visible, the machine becomes an architectural feature, and the cleaning procedure is no longer concealed.

The Reason for a 10-Meter Cube

The smallest volume required to combine machine, movement, and human occupation without turning into a building is a 10-meter cube. It strikes a compromise between intimacy and size: it is small enough to fit into unused roadside places while still being big enough to accommodate filtration systems and small group activities. Vertical stacking filters in the center, human spaces surrounding is made possible by the cube's design, guaranteeing effective volume utilisation without any dead zones.

Why It Is Particularly Necessary for Street Children

Children living on the streets are unable to avoid pollution through shelter or medical care. Their sole kind of protection is their bodies. This initiative views clean air as a short-term solution rather than a long-term strategy. By causing a breathing pause in their regular movements, it lowers cumulative exposure and provides both psychological and bodily solace.

The Function of the Meeting Room and Bookshelf

A life characterised by movement is given rest by the bookcase. It offers justification for staying in the clean-air zone without engaging in business. By facilitating informal learning, relaxing, and observation, the meeting platform transforms the cube from a machine into a social micro-space. Breath and knowledge coexist.

Extended Utilisation and Duplication

The cube can be placed along contaminated hallways as a modular unit. Its compact size enables several installations, creating a network of breathing nodes around the city. Instead of being a single item, it may eventually become a component of a dispersed health infrastructure.