A multidisciplinary capstone proposal to redevelop and expand the existing Secondary Waste Transfer Station in Lalbag, Dhaka, by integrating segregated collection, waste compaction, recovery and recycling, environmental management, architectural planning, structural analysis, detailed drawings, cost estimation, and phased implementation.
- Field
- Sustainable Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering
- Course
- CE 404: Capstone Project
- Project Facility
- Redeveloped Secondary Waste Transfer Station
- My Role
- Team Leader
Academic Supervisors
- Professor Dr. Khan Mahmud Amanat Department of Civil Engineering, BUET
- Professor Dr. Mehedi Ahmed Ansary Department of Civil Engineering, BUET
- Professor Dr. Moazzem Hossain Department of Civil Engineering, BUET
- Professor Dr. Md. Mafizur Rahman Department of Civil Engineering, BUET
- Revit
- SAP2000
- AutoCAD
- RCC Design
- Steel Truss Design
- BNBC 2020
- Feasibility Analysis
- Traffic Impact Analysis
- Environmental Assessment
- Cost Estimation & BOQ
PROJECT CONTEXT
Overview and objectives
Rapid population growth and dense urban activity have placed substantial pressure on Dhaka’s municipal solid-waste infrastructure. The existing arrangement at the Lalbag Secondary Waste Transfer Station relied on mixed-waste handling and limited processing facilities, contributing to inefficient transport, environmental pollution, land wastage, and inconvenience for surrounding communities.
Our capstone project proposed the redevelopment and expansion of this facility as a community-level solid-waste management system. The concept combined doorstep segregated collection, improved transfer logistics, waste compaction, material separation, recycling, environmental safeguards, and a purpose-designed office and transfer-station complex.
- Introduce segregated collection at the source and improve collection logistics.
- Provide facilities for compaction, separation, recovery, and recycling.
- Improve waste transport through modern containers and organized transfer operations.
- Reduce pollution, resource wastage, and adverse effects on surrounding communities.
- Integrate architectural, structural, environmental, economic, and implementation planning.
SITE & BASIC INFORMATION
Project location and institutional context
The project site is located on Dhakeshwari Road in Ward 26 of Dhaka South City Corporation, within the Lalbag area of Dhaka. The proposal was developed around the existing Secondary Waste Transfer Station and its surrounding collection network.
- Geographic Area
- Lalbag, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Project Objective
- Implement a sustainable community-level solid-waste management system
- Project Category
- Yellow
- Planned Duration
- One year
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ASSESSMENT
Feasibility and planning studies
The feasibility phase combined field investigation, condition assessment, operational review, comparative case studies, collection-route analysis, traffic impact assessment, environmental assessment, preliminary cost estimation, and cost-benefit evaluation.
Field and operational assessment
- Documented the existing transfer station, containers, collection vans, trucks, collection points, and operating schedule.
- Reviewed collection routes serving Azimpur Colony, Chawkbazar, and Lalbag.
- Identified the absence of on-site segregation, recycling, and compaction facilities.
Comparative case studies
- Reviewed mechanized and community-level transfer facilities in Indore, Changsha, and Kolkata.
- Compared collection systems, dry-wet separation, segregation methods, recycling practices, and compaction technologies.
- Used the comparison to define the functional requirements of the Lalbag proposal.
Traffic and environmental assessment
- Evaluated collection routes and surrounding traffic conditions.
- Compared estimated traffic demand with available corridor capacity.
- Prepared mitigation measures for pre-construction, construction, and operational phases.
- Addressed air, noise, soil, water, leachate, worker safety, drainage, and monitoring requirements.
Economic and implementation planning
- Prepared preliminary and detailed cost estimates and a Bill of Quantities.
- Considered collection revenue, recycling revenue, operation and maintenance, monitoring, administration, and quality assurance.
- Prepared a phased implementation programme covering investigation, design, procurement, construction, testing, and commissioning.
PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION
My role as team leader
As the team leader, I coordinated the overall project workflow and helped integrate the feasibility, architectural, structural, environmental, costing, and implementation components into one coherent proposal. I organized task distribution, monitored progress, supported technical decision-making, and contributed to the preparation and presentation of the final project.
My technical contribution included developing the three-dimensional facility model in Revit, carrying out structural modelling and analysis in SAP2000, and preparing engineering drawings and details in AutoCAD. I also contributed to the interpretation of design results, coordination between architectural and structural components, preparation of project documentation, and communication of the proposed system from an engineering perspective.
- Project leadership, task coordination, and integration of multidisciplinary work.
- Three-dimensional architectural and structural modelling in Revit.
- Structural modelling and analysis in SAP2000.
- Engineering drawings, layouts, and details in AutoCAD.
- Coordination of feasibility, environmental, traffic, design, BOQ, and implementation outputs.
- Preparation and delivery of the final capstone presentation.
ARCHITECTURAL & STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Design development
The final facility combined an office building with a larger transfer station. The office was designed as an RCC-framed structure, while the transfer station used an RCC structural system supporting a steel-truss roof. The design also included foundations, grade beams, columns, beams, slabs, an underground water reservoir, plumbing, drainage, and associated site elements.
Architectural and spatial design
- Total building area of approximately 300 m² and base area of approximately 368 m².
- Transfer-station dimensions of approximately 17.07 m × 14.96 m with a floor area of 255.36 m².
- Office, staff, service, vehicle-parking, processing, storage, and circulation spaces.
- Alternative architectural arrangements evaluated before finalizing the design.
- Three-dimensional model developed in Revit and coordinated with engineering drawings.
Structural design basis
- Design life: 20 years.
- Primary standards: BNBC 2020, ACI 318-08, and AISC 14.
- Basic wind speed: 65.7 m/s.
- Seismic Zone 2, Site Class SC, and Seismic Design Category C.
- Gravity, wind, and earthquake load combinations considered in analysis.
Structural components
- Shallow square foundations and reinforced-concrete framing.
- Grade beams, columns, beams, and two-way slabs.
- Underground water reservoir designed for governing full/empty and saturated-soil conditions.
- Symmetrical two-dimensional Pratt roof truss with bolted gusset-plate connections.
- Structural response and member actions evaluated in SAP2000.
Drawings and documentation
- Ground-floor plan, column layout, grade-beam layout, and beam detailing.
- Slab, footing, underground-reservoir, roof-truss, and connection details.
- Plumbing and drainage layout connected to the municipal sewer network.
- Drawings and detailing prepared and coordinated in AutoCAD.
BOQ & IMPLEMENTATION
Cost, construction, and delivery strategy
The final Bill of Quantities estimated the project cost at approximately BDT 4.09 crore. The estimate covered investigation, earthwork, foundations, reinforced-concrete work, structural steel, masonry, architectural finishes, plumbing, testing, safety provisions, site facilities, engineering, and additional project costs.
The implementation plan separated pre-construction and construction activities. Pre-construction tasks included project initiation, investigation, surveys, environmental analysis, feasibility reporting, detailed design, BOQ preparation, and tendering. The construction phase included site preparation, earthwork, foundations, underground structures, the RCC frame, masonry, steel work, services, and finishes.
PROJECT OUTCOMES
Proposed benefits and engineering value
- Modernization and expansion of an existing community waste-transfer facility.
- Source segregation, organized collection, compaction, recovery, and recycling.
- Improved environmental controls and safer operating conditions.
- Reduced uncontrolled dumping, pollution, resource loss, and transport inefficiency.
- Integrated facility planning supported by architectural, structural, environmental, and economic analysis.
- A coordinated set of models, calculations, drawings, BOQ, and implementation schedules suitable for project development.
PROJECT TEAM
Team members and academic supervision
The capstone was completed by Group 4 of Section B (Session 2019-20) in the Department of Civil Engineering at BUET. I served as team leader and worked with the following team members.
PROJECT OUTPUTS
Selected models, analyses, drawings, and project outputs
