Ananta Terraces: Why build a building, when you can build an entire city?

The serene greenery of Ananta Terraces, a residential project approved by Rajuk, is designed to soothe your eyes. To unwind a little before entering your home in one of the nine imposingly beautiful towers, you could take a walk through the floating central pavilion – a glass room built right in the centre of an azure blue pool of water.

Behind the idea of creating Ananta Terraces within Dhaka lies the ambition to give its dwellers an elite address. The luxuries this project aims to provide will be on par with those of elite homes and suites across the world. 

Inside the gated community, dwellers will feel a sense of security, while the double-glazed glass all over the buildings will keep the noise pollution at bay. Advanced air filtration systems will also ensure fresh air at all times. 

Though on paper it is a residential project offering multi-storeyed apartments, it promises unparalleled luxurious resort-style living. 

The project will cover an extensive area of 15 acres, and include nine residential towers, having 25 sustainable building features that conform to healthier living standards. Around 64% of the 15 acres will be open space. 

At the entrance of Ananta Terraces will be the Ananta Terraces Mall. 

Overall, Ananta Terraces will feature a path for pedestrians, a retail building, a central garden, a central water system with a floating pavilion, a high-tech gym, a swimming pool, a clubhouse, a tennis court, a basketball court, a playground for kids, and an 840 metre-long jogging track that runs along the perimeter of the project.

"The city is expanding eastwards towards Madani Avenue, 100 Feet and 300 Feet road in Purbachal. However, commuting between Gulshan to Baridhara via the 100 Feet road is much easier. We could build the Ananta Terraces in Gulshan for its premium status, but then we would be limited by space, and in turn the design would suffer. So, we went with Madani Avenue where we had access to 45 bighas of open space," said Sharif Zahir, Managing Director of Ananta Group.

Ananta Terraces will offer its residents a community address where like-minded people live and enjoy the communal aspect of it. All the amenities are decentralised, giving each tower its own unique amenities and also promoting exclusivity. 

In each of the nine towers, 20,000 sq ft is allotted to amenities, including a separate ballroom, health club, gym, heated swimming pool, prayer hall and a place for children to play. 

Every aspect has been deeply thought through by leaders in their respective fields. Eco.id and Cooper Hill, for example, are among the partners in the project who, with their solid experience, will give Ananta Terraces its world-class luxurious makeover. 

In the four-storey basements in each tower, all the cars will be tucked away, so children can play and people can enjoy their walks without any disturbance.

Outdoor activity areas, the heated pools, the saunas and all the other facilities are all included in the design, and the entire space will be a kaleidoscope of gardens, landscapes and terrascapes. 

"It is an aim of Ananta Real Estate to provide amenities to the residents to make their lives easier, the likes of which the dwellers of Dhaka City have to travel far to enjoy.

With more than half the plot reserved for open spaces to enjoy leisure activities, it will feel like a resort in the middle of the city. Mood lighting creates an enticing atmosphere from sunset to midnight.

The complete span of the complex aims to provide the residents with an environmentally and socially responsible space, where the amenities and features can be enjoyed by all age groups," said Ascentis, one of Ananta Real Estate's partners in project management.

The planned two lakh sq ft Ananta Terraces Mall will house classy retail stores, upscale eateries, luxury brands, fine-dining restaurants, coffee shops, high-end supermarkets and multiplex movie theatres. 

The mall will also have doctors' chambers, an art gallery and showrooms for specific luxury brands. In other words, high end brands and facilities provided by the mall will save the residents from having to travel abroad to avail these amenities. 

The team looked outward for inspiration. They travelled worldwide, from East to West, from Singapore to New York, to draw inspiration for Ananta Terraces.

The first LEED Platinum Residential certification

Ananta Terraces will be the first LEED Platinum home. A LEED certification is achieved through responsible choices of actions throughout the process of design, construction and beyond. 

"Ananta Terraces was committed to attain LEED Platinum homes for the first time in Bangladesh, recognised by the United States Green Building Council [USGBC]. Through the LEED Certification process, we make conscious designs to be environmentally responsible and provide eco-friendly spaces for all in Ananta Terraces to enjoy," said Gautam Tarafdar, Chief Sales Officer of the project.

The mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) design features take residents' health into consideration. Variable Refrigerant Flow air conditioning throughout the project provides an efficient cooling system. 

Solar panels will be used extensively to utilise sustainable solar energy. Water treatment and sewage treatment plants built right within the project will make the MEP features even more effective. 

"Ananta Terraces will have its own water treatment plant (WTP). The iron content in our water is too high, so you need your own WTP. To truly be a luxury living space, every feature has to complement another.

Then comes the air quality. We will ensure an AQI of 50 inside the apartments with our filtration systems. The double-glazed glass panels will dampen outside noise and block out harmful UV rays. Then we're looking at the LEED features. We are doing all this so that the future generations like to live here," said Sharif.

Each floor will have lofty ceilings, allowing the flow of air and light to create a relaxing ambience. 

In order to be environmental leaders of the greater community, great care has been taken to include eco-friendly designs, materials and the method of construction. Ananta Terraces aims to be the first LEED homes Platinum complex complying to LEED Residential BD+C: Multifamily standards throughout the construction phase.

The 64% open space in the project is an attempt to provide residents with ample greenery. The residential buildings are built in a green environment, which extends into the apartment floors with wide ledges and green balconies. 

No two homes are alike

The duplex apartments will come in three sizes – 6,500, 6,800 and 9,800 sq ft - and all feature four to five bedroom variants. The one-storeyed apartments come in 3,600, 4,500, 5,600 and 6,000 sq ft sizes, with three to five bedroom variants. 

Bespoke payment plans are available. Eight financial institutes are also backing customers with loans.

"There are people who want to have the most luxurious homes. It was time we offered them this within our country so that they don't have to go abroad to live luxuriously. What we are building here is completely world-class," said Sharif. 

The 9,800 sq ft duplex apartments offer a swimming pool, home theatre and library. The interior design of each apartment will be different to set each home apart from the other. Starting from the fourth basement, all the towers will be 21-storeys tall. 

The living spaces will be approximately 25 feet tall. The walls of the living spaces will be covered in stones, with double-glazed glasses going all the way up to the ceiling.

The apartments will come in three residential packages. Every space is customised to offer a luxury standard of five-star living. The Splendid Collection will be exclusive residential packages to suit a budget. Fitted with imported mirror polish tiles and open ceilings to create a lofty effect in the homes, this package is designed to offer minimalistic space with a modern touch.

The Opulent Collection, the more upgraded package, will feature imported marbles. The Variable Refrigerant Flow technology (VRF) will allow air conditioning to be maintained centrally, alongside false ceilings in selected spaces along with imported, superior fixtures and fittings in the kitchens and toilets. The Platinum Collection is the top-of-the-line package which has never been offered in residential spaces. 

"The customers get access to Eco.id's interior design and Cooper Hill's manicured landscape treatments when they come to live in Ananta Terraces," said Sharif.

Ananta Real Estate partnered with major industry players to make this happen

Ananta Real Estate partnered up with other big firms in the industry to make the project come to life. Each company contributes in their own field of expertise to ensure the project meets the deadline. 

To realise this vision of Ananta Terraces, Ananta Real Estate teamed up with international projects experts Ascentis, BPI, Eco.id, Cooper Hill and WME.

"Ascentis brings expertise in engineering, project and construction management with dedicated teams focused on balancing the triple constraints of time, cost and quality," said Sharif.

BPI is the lighting designer of the project. Eco.id is the principal architect firm of the project, integrating the aim of environmental responsibility through architectural design. Cooper Hill designed the landscape of the project, providing solutions of the total complex for the greenery.

Ananta Terraces is aiming to open its doors to residents by December 2025.