MDM were commissioned to design a mill for Arvind Textile Mills Ltd. The site was challenging, with two sides separated by a 13-metre-wide road. The mill comprises of a loom shed, buildings for finished goods and for the finishing department, an office building, a power plant and a boiler house.

The mill features a steel-frame structure clad in aluminum sheeting which is double-skinned and insulated. The office is centrally air-conditioned and connected to the factory by a link; it is constructed with a RCC frame and concrete floors and is structurally isolated from the factory to prevent the transmission of sound and vibration.

The factory was designed to international standards utilizing readily available building components. Its design allows for future expansion without disruption of the existing facility.

N.B. Due to the global recession, Arvind abandoned the project after completion of pile work.

NHT Fashion, part of the Pacific Group, is the biggest jeans manufacturer in Bangladesh. MDM undertook the design and project management of the company’s new eight-storey factory in Chittagong.

The design incorporates lots of natural light, ventilation, and shading. External cladding and a multi-layer wall structure ensure minimal heat is transmitted to work areas. The roof area uses planting to keep the building cool and provide relaxation space for workers. The building meets international standards for fire safety, featuring LED tube lighting and wiring which uses busbar trunking to minimize fire risks.

The factory has its own onsite energy-efficient generator; the washing-plant water is heated using waste heat from the generator; and solar panels provide additional energy. Water is recycled wherever possible, rainwater is harvested from the roof and ground water is treated and reused.

The project is scheduled for completion in September 2014.

British American Tobacco, Bangladesh appointed MDM as architectural, structural design and project management consultant in 2010. Since then, many projects have been completed. These include:

• Extension of the tobacco factory building in Kushtia, Bangladesh, a pre-fabricated building on newly procured land beside the existing factory, which houses a tobacco warehouse and a second factory production line.
• Extension on the west and north sides of the factory building in Dhaka.
• Extension of the finished goods warehouse in Dhaka.
• Conveyor-belt installation project in the factory building in Dhaka.
• Filter-rod department extension in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Fire-hydrant installation projects on sites in Savar, Manikgonj, Chechua, Chourhash (Kushtia factory), Jhenaidah, Meherpur and Allardargah.

Reconstruction of a re-drying plant (RDP) and an inspection shed In Manikgonj