5/5 Md. Meshbaul Islam E. 3 years ago on Google
Jatiya
Sangsad
was
designed
by
Louis
Kahn.
The
government
sought
assistance
from
South
Asian
activist
and
architect
Muzharul
Islam
who
recommended
bringing
in
the
world's
top
architects
for
the
project.
He
initially
attempted
to
bring
Alvar
Aalto
and
Le
Corbusier,
who
were
both
were
unavailable
at
the
time.
Islam
then
enlisted
his
former
teacher
at
Yale,
Louis
Kahn.
Before
its
completion,
the
first
and
second
Parliaments
used
the
Old
Sangsad
Bhaban,
which
currently
serves
as
the
Prime
Minister's
Office.
Construction
was
started
in
1961
when
Bangladesh
was
East
Pakistan,
led
by
Ayub
Khan
from
the
West
Pakistan
capital
of
Islamabad.
As
part
of
his
efforts
to
decrease
the
disparity
and
secessionist
tendencies
of
East
Pakistan,
Khan
aimed
to
make
Dhaka
a
second
capital,
with
appropriate
facilities
for
an
assembly.
Construction
was
halted
during
the
1971
Bangladesh
Liberation
War
and
was
completed
on
28
January
1982.
Kahn
died
when
the
project
was
approximately
three-quarters
completed
and
it
continued
under
David
Wisdom,
who
worked
for
Kahn.
Louis
Kahn
designed
the
entire
Jatiya
Sangsad
complex,
which
includes
lawns,
lake
and
residences
for
the
Members
of
the
Parliament
(MPs).
The
architect's
key
design
philosophy
was
to
represent
Bengali
culture
and
heritage,
while
at
the
same
time
optimizing
the
use
of
space.
The
exterior
of
the
building
is
striking
in
its
simplicity,
with
huge
walls
deeply
recessed
by
porticoes
and
large
openings
of
regular
geometric
shapes.
The
main
building,
which
is
at
the
center
of
the
complex,
is
divided
into
three
parts
–
the
Main
Plaza,
South
Plaza
and
Presidential
Plaza.
An
artificial
lake
surrounds
three
sides
of
the
main
building
of
Jatiya
Sangsad
Bhaban,
extending
to
the
Members
of
Parliament
hostel
complex.
This
skillful
use
of
water
to
portray
the
riverine
beauty
of
Bengal
adds
to
the
aesthetic
value
of
the
site.