1. Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban
The National Assembly Building
Of Bangladesh
• It is one of the
LARGEST
legislative
complexes in
the WORLD
2. It designed by Louis Kahn and co-architect was
Muzharul Islam
• Jatiyo Sangshad was designed by Louis Kahn. Initially,
the government had appointed Muzharul Islam as the
center's architect, but Muzharul Islam deferred, instead
recommending 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. Muzharul Islam then enlisted his former teacher
Louis Kahn.
3. The Construction started at 1961 and it Completed at
1982
• Louis Kahn designed the entire Jatiyo
Sangsad complex, which includes
lawns, lake and residences for the
Members of the Parliament (MPs).The
architect’s key design philosophy was
to represent Bangladeshi 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 Jatiyo Sangsad
Bhaban, extending to the Members of
Parliament hostel complex. This
skillful use of water to portray the
riverine beauty of Bangladesh adds to
the aesthetic value of the site.
4. Area of the Main Plaza, South
Plaza and Presidential Plaza
• Main Plaza is
823,000 sft
(76,000 sqm)
• South Plaza
is 223,000 sft
(21,000 sqm)
• Presidential
Plaza is
65,000 sft
(6,000 sqm))
5. Play of light inside the building
• In the architect Louis Kahn's own words:
• In the assembly I have introduced a light-
giving element to the interior of the plan.
• If you see a series of columns you can say
that the choice of columns is a choice in
light. The columns as solids frame the
spaces of light.
Now think of it just in reverse and think that
the columns are hollow and much bigger
and that their walls can themselves give
light,
• then the voids are rooms, and the column is
the maker of light and can take on complex
shapes and be the supporter of spaces and
give light to spaces.
• I am working to develop the element to
such an extent that it becomes a poetic
entity which has its own beauty outside of its
place in the composition.
• In this way it becomes analogous to the
solid column I mentioned above as a giver
of light.
