Saraf Nawer’s ‘tale of an ocean’
The project explores energy-efficient, sustainable and lightweight construction methodology that can survive the complex climatic conditions of Sonadia such as salinity and seasonal cyclones
'How to build a mega project in an ecologically critical area like Sonadia so that it does not harm the ecosystem but strengthens it?'
Saraf Nawer, a final-year student in the Department of Architecture at the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), began her thesis with this research question in 2022.
Little did she know that her project titled 'Tale of an Ocean: Oceanarium Complex at Sonadia' would bring her international recognition. In 2024, she received 'The Inspireli Awards' which is renowned as the world's largest student competition in architecture.
The Czech Republic-based competition celebrates outstanding achievements across three categories — architecture, interior design and urban design, highlighting the innovative contributions of students.
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Saraf's 'Tale of an Ocean' project won in the Architecture category, where 921 projects were submitted.
In its 9th annual edition in 2024, this prestigious competition attracted 1,271 students from 87 countries and saw submissions of 1,174 projects in total. After a rigorous evaluation process by architects in Inspireli's pool of more than 1,300 jurors, one winner was selected in each category.
Saraf was not new to this kind of competition though. She previously won the People's Choice Award in International Architecture and Design Thesis Awards (UniATA'24) and received Honourable Mention at the Architectural Thesis Award 2024 by Mango Architecture.
Idea of the project
In 2017, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) announced plans to establish three tourism parks in Cox's Bazar to boost the region's tourism industry: Sabrang, Naf and Sonadia eco-tourism parks.
"The biggest challenge was that the site [Sonadia in Cox's Bazar] experienced tidal surges almost every day. Water would come onto the site, and of course, it was salty water. Another challenge was providing fresh water to the entire site. So, I just connected these two dots. I designed a desalination core that would desalinate tidal water and use it for the entire complex."
Inspired by this, Saraf proposed working on the Sonadia site for her thesis, which had not been previously studied. Despite initial hesitation, her supervisor, Syeda Jafrina Nancy, eventually approved the project.
The literature review was particularly challenging due to a lack of research on oceanarium complexes. An oceanarium is typically a large seawater aquarium in which marine animals are kept for study and public entertainment.
So Saraf relied heavily on BEZA's publications and online sources. Sonadia Island, known for its Red Crabs, features a unique mix of dunes, mangroves and estuary ecosystems, influenced daily by tidal surges.
However, illegal activities and environmental changes led to significant damage, prompting the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act to designate it as an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA).
"The biggest challenge was that the site experienced tidal surges almost every day. Water would come onto the site, and of course, it was salty water. Another challenge was providing fresh water to the entire site. So, I just connected these two dots. I designed a desalination core that would desalinate tidal water and use it for the entire complex," explained Saraf.
Out of the 8,300 acres of nature reserve, the then-government proposed 900 acres will be developed for public use. Saraf proposed 13.3 acres for the Oceanarium Complex in her project.
The project explores energy-efficient, sustainable and lightweight construction methodology that can survive the complex climatic conditions of Sonadia including poor soil conditions, salinity, daily tidal surges and seasonal cyclones.
The project's goal is to facilitate research opportunities and create public awareness by exhibiting marine life in the aquariums and also in their natural habitat. There are three separate exhibitions – Salt Water, Fresh Water and Dolphinarium, an ocean heritage museum, a research and service block, a public block and a cafeteria along the site.
How the complex works
"In Sonadia, there is a type of coral called sun coral, which has a gastrovascular cavity in the centre that helps maintain all its circulations. The function of the complex is somewhat similar to that," said Saraf.
There is a desalination pod at the core structure of each aquarium mass. Like sun coral, the desalination pod integrated with rainwater harvesting channels are responsible for the main water circulation system of the site.
The desalination pod uses solar energy to turn saltwater into fresh, drinking water and commercial salt brine. It uses solar power to operate. During tidal surge, the saltwater is collected through a seawater inlet pipe and sprayed through a nozzle in the desalination chamber.
Solar power heats the chamber to evaporate water, which then condenses in a pipe and is stored at the bottom for use in freshwater aquariums and site needs. The brine is collected, processed in the service block, and supplied to local salt production factories.
Each aquarium dome is self-sufficient, using solar power, producing its own water, and being resilient to cyclones and saline water. This makes it a site-responsive prototype ideal for such areas.
The solar-powered dome can generate 65-70% of its daily electricity needs, depending on weather and sun exposure. It's elevated to account for future sea level rise, and its modular design allows for easy demounting, reusing and transportation, even by water. The materials are lightweight compared to concrete and glass, making them suitable for loose mangrove soil.
Service routes are managed with separate loops from the entrance to the service block. Internal carts handle maintenance and cleaning. Emergency exits are provided from each dome, maintaining the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) law.
The materials used are low maintenance, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.
Ferrock is used for the substructure construction to address the salinity issue and daily tidal surges. It is produced from 95% recycled material and is carbon-negative. The structural elements are designed for off-site construction and can be quickly assembled on-site.
For the superstructure, double-layered ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) panels are used with integrated photovoltaic cells. ETFE cushions are self-cleaning, low maintenance, cyclone resilient material — safe from any type of fire hazard for its self-extinguishing qualities.
"ETFE doesn't produce any glare or doesn't increase outdoor temperatures. It makes it safe for birds, a very important thing to consider in such a site which is a home to different endangered birds," Saraf added.
These double-layered ETFE cushions reduce indoor temperatures by up to 5°C, minimising cooling costs and energy use. The layered design controls light entry, cutting the need for daytime indoor lighting.
At night, indoor lights can shine through the panels, reducing the need for outdoor lighting.
Environmental and financial benefits
The local brine collection method is unhygienic and brine is stored directly on ground using embankments. This process drastically increases the salinity of the area for a certain time which directly affects the mangrove ecosystem.
Integrating the desalination pod across a community will eventually eliminate the first step of local brine collection from the sea and save the mangrove from any further harm and restore it.
In this case of water desalination, the dominating current alternatives capable of desalinating water only recover a fraction of the water and dump the rest, which is harmful, back to the sea.
This system, on the contrary, evaporates 100% of the water, recovering the solutes, following a full waste-to-money philosophy. It spends 75% to 95% less energy than conventional thermal systems, spends 50% less energy than reverse osmosis, and reduces costs by 75% in contaminated water desalination.
It deals with water shortage through sustainable solar distillation and is low maintenance.
With double-layered ETFE cushions and solar panels, the structure can operate during cyclones, even without main power, and provide fresh water afterward. The elevated domes withstand storm surges and high winds, making them ideal cyclone shelters, offering water, electricity and hygiene independently.
Protecting the ecosystem
Numerous animals live at the Sonadia site, including over 50 vulnerable species. By using local flora and fauna in landscaping, a symbiosis is formed between the architecture and nature, restoring the ecosystem and creating safe spaces for local wildlife.
This oceanarium works as a rescue and rehabilitation centre for local endangered species. On the other hand, the research centre focuses on the betterment of these species and conducts study means to protect the marine and mangrove ecosystem in collaboration with the local hatchery.
Besides, the conscious landscaping allows local flora and fauna to co-exist within the aquatecture. "The main goal is to rehabilitate local wildlife and provide shelter for those in need. Instead of capturing them, the focus is on creating natural attraction points by planting trees carefully, forming a natural exhibition," Saraf explained.
The site features exotic fish tanks to educate visitors about marine life. The Dolphinarium can house two rescued local dolphins with special needs and includes an outdoor open-air crawling tank.
Since it was a student project, estimating the real-life costs of implementing the project wasn't required. So, Saraf couldn't provide any information on that.
"Whenever I think about the implementation, I wonder if this is really feasible in the context of Bangladesh. These are mega projects and very expensive. However, I do believe that there is scope if we prioritise protecting the ecosystem.
Many countries around the world are now focusing on similar sustainable projects," Saraf concluded.
