United Terminal: Convenience exemplified

Navigating the busy roads of bustling Dhaka is a hectic undertaking. On weekdays, when everything is running full-blown, weaving through the traffic is not just chaotic, it is also very exhausting. 

The country's busiest airport, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, sits quite a bit of distance away from the city centre. Meaning, that anyone arriving after a long and tiring flight, will then again have to fight through the daily Dhaka traffic, possibly resulting in something nightmarish.

But what if there was a spot where people arriving through the airport could not only rest but also find everything they need within minutes? What if there was a solution to the problem of long hauls into the city centre while every basic necessities were available right where they landed?

One of Bangladesh's biggest conglomerates, United Group, has launched a project that not only presents the said solution but also highlights the country's development and helps maintain a prestigious image. Right beside Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, lies the newest spectacle brought by the group, simply called the 'United Terminal'. 

While as of writing this article, these might appear as just a couple of buildings being constructed, the truth goes much beyond. The structure spans over a massive area, approximately 15.74 acres of land, and includes four distinctive buildings, each with its purposes.

The entire complex features five crucial elements; an all-in-one package if you will. These include one five-star and one four-star hotel, one banquet hall, one shopping mall and one office building. Combining all five of these elements together, one can easily see how it brings convenience to literally every visitor's doorstep.

That is precisely one of the most compelling things about the project — convenience. The complex was planned with a focus on providing convenience to foreign visitors and tourists. Of course, it does not prevent our very own populace from enjoying any part of it, but the primary focus remains towards the foreign visitors, as they are after all, the guests who need to be taken care of properly. 

The project, aside from providing convenience to foreign visitors, serves as an international platform for businesses in Bangladesh. It will act as a safe hub for investors as multiple international entities will be involved in the operation of United Terminal.

Before going further into the details of the features mentioned above, let's first take a look at how the project was planned for geographical expediency. The current location of the project is close to both an international airport and an intercity railway station. 

It is well underway to become a multi-modal transportation hub, linking with the Mass Rapid Transport Line. Additionally, the international airport is expanding with the construction of its Third Terminal, equipped with extended facilities.

With regards to this, in an earlier interview, Chairman and Managing Director of United Group, Moinuddin Hasan Rashid said, "This place is going to be a focal point of the country. Our project will become a value addition to the Third Terminal. The hotels, convention facilities and shopping arcades will provide ancillary services and boost Dhaka Airport to a global standard."

And truly, the project will basically act as a hub for the visitors. Think of it as a grand gateway that offers a warm welcome, before going further into the colours of Bangladesh. The entire complex consists of four buildings, as mentioned before. Aside from their specific roles, their grandeur can hardly be ignored. Each of these features is unique in style and is designed to provide the best services possible, albeit some of them are still being constructed.

The first thing to catch the eye upon entering the place is a bite-sized tea garden in the shape of a maze, sitting right between the structures. The aim of such an instalment, being somewhat unusual, is to give the visitors a glimpse of Bangladeshi heritage.

But speaking of the structures, the very first noteworthy feature is the grand banquet hall of United Terminal. Now a banquet hall is a must-have in modern hotels and other similar architectures, to host exclusive events. The banquet hall in the United Terminal is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, the country has to offer. The hall encompasses a large area, as big as 3,12,976 sqft and the main hall is very similar to a throne room in size and shape. 

The interiors of the hall, just like the interiors of the lounge, are made of premium-grade materials, complete with marbled floors and titanium alloy padded walls that really complement the lighting arrangements. The hall was very thoroughly thought out with plenty of side rooms and a view to kill for. While the second banquet hall on the upper floor is much smaller in terms of height, it makes up for it with its unique design that allows the whole room to be divided into three distinct parts, should it become necessary.

Being part of the United Group, and being a hub that provides everything an individual might need, both for quality and comfort, Unimart and Chef's Table are two part-and-parcel names. But the instalments of these two outlets housed in the Terminal will be the biggest the country has seen so far. Located on the basement floor of the arcade/mall building, this supershop will provide the daily necessities, which are known for their quality, thanks to the already existing outlets. 

The Chef's Table of the complex is also housed in the same building but on the second to the top floor and will encompass nearly the entire floor. The design of it resembles the waves seen on calm waters and will have a few spots for a little photoshoot as well.

There will be two hotels as part of the project, one five-star with a land mass of 6,75,556 sqft and one four-star with a land mass of 3,70,478 sqft. The concerned brands operating the hotels will launch their services very soon. One of the objectives of the entire project is to provide visitors and pilots flying in from far, away with a place to stay in comfort. Dhaka traffic has always been somewhat notorious and recently it has only gotten more severe in nature. The hotels bring comfort to travellers so that they will not have to bear the inconveniences after a long and hard journey.

It has been estimated that there are at least 200-250 visitors and pilots flying into Dhaka every day. While it might not seem much, that is actually a hefty number of people for one day. A considerable number of these people are guaranteed to be transit passengers. With varying wait times for their connecting flights, these passengers will rarely ever have the time to explore what Dhaka has to offer, after the battle with traffic. So these hotels and the mall will bring Dhaka to their doorstep.

Speaking of the mall, one notable characteristic of it is its commitment to providing extensive open areas, allocating approximately a plentiful of its space for visitors to enjoy. The design of escalators and bridges within the spacious floor atriums has been carefully orchestrated to prevent a monotonous experience for shoppers, ensuring an engaging and visually dynamic environment.

While the shopping arcade is not really gigantic, its design will give the illusion of a spacious arena. The oval arrangement of shops is intended to prevent shoppers from getting lost, ensuring that every shop is easily noticeable and none go unnoticed.

The mall/arcade will feature the outlets of the most popular brands in the country, giving the shoppers a glimpse of Bangladesh's culture at its modern adaptation. From the ground floor to the fourth floor, the mall will have everything starting from male and female wear to gadgets and jewellaries. It will also have a movie theatre on the top floor. The shops have already started the process of bringing their businesses into the arcade to go operational soon.

The Terminal is slowly starting to go into operation and it won't be long till it becomes fully operational. And when it does, it will truly be an icon for Dhaka and Bangladesh as a whole, signifying the country's heritage and modernism to anyone visiting, be it a foreign tourist or a curious local.