Vanishing verandas: The slow death of open spaces in urban homes

There was a time in the late 1980s and 1990s when many families had courtyards in front of their homes.

These open spaces were used for children to play, while elders sat in chairs with tea and engaged in long conversations. The women of the house would cook outside, dry their spices or work on quilts in the late afternoon.

Courtyards offered families a breathing space, making household chores feel less confined. They also served as places for socialising and for children to play.

However, as taller buildings began to replace older houses, courtyards gradually disappeared.

Although these outdoor spaces became smaller, verandas were still built large enough to serve a similar purpose. With time, even these verandas began to shrink.

Now, when walking through the modern neighbourhoods of Dhaka, you will find high-rise buildings with verandas barely large enough for one person to stand still. They are no longer spacious enough to dry clothes, let alone allow two people to stand and talk or children to sit and play.

"Verandas are the liver of the house, and they must be big, but we hardly go out to the veranda anymore like we once did. We are glued to our phones and notice nothing else," said Shahed Islam, an architect at Future Architects.

Shahed, both an architect and an empty nester, emphasised the importance of verandas.

"Families feel confined in their homes. You come home every day, and it needs to be a place that feels welcoming. After a long day, or on a lazy afternoon, sitting in the veranda can feel calming – but how can we do that when people choose to make verandas small?" he said.

As an architect, however, he understands why verandas are shrinking.

"The space people have for their rooms is already limited, so they choose to sacrifice the veranda to make their rooms larger," he explained.

Ruksana Khan, a homemaker living with her husband and two daughters in an apartment building in Uttara, shared her experience.

"I remember when my children were younger, we would sit in our veranda, look outside and play snakes and ladders on lazy afternoons," said Ruksana.

"Now, going to the veranda means facing traffic noise, pollution and unbearable heat," she added.

There was a time when verandas were essential parts of a home – places where slow evenings were spent enjoying a view, reading a book, having tea alone or with company, tending to an indoor garden, or simply drying clothes.

Now, with air pollution, noise pollution and high-rise buildings blocking views on all sides, most residents no longer wish to spend time on their verandas.

"Following modern floor plan requirements, architects focus more on usable square footage and treat verandas as a mere formality required by building codes. This results in small verandas with very little character," said Tanzina Kabir Parisa, a freelance interior architect.

"On top of that, for security reasons, the true openness of verandas is becoming increasingly rare, especially in a densely populated city like Dhaka," she added.

Tanzina explained that verandas need to be reimagined by designers in ways that address current challenges while maintaining both aesthetics and security.

"When I have the privilege of advising on a building's façade during planning and construction, I advocate for open, wider verandas without security grills. And if grills are necessary, I design them so they do not feel restrictive but instead add character to the space," she said.

"As for the view, not every building is blessed with greenery or a beautiful neighbouring structure. For those, I suggest adding well-chosen plants – potted plants at the bottom, hanging creepers and vines at the top. It makes the space feel more homely and helps combat air pollution," Tanzina continued.

"As designers, we need to make the veranda appealing in itself, so it encourages people to step outside once again and enjoy a slow morning or evening there, rather than using the space solely for drying laundry," she concluded.