"Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban or National Parliament House,
is the house of the Parliament of Bangladesh, located at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in
the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. Designed by architect Louis Kahn, the
complex, which accommodates all Bangladesh's seven parliaments, is one of the
largest legislative complexes in the world, comprising 200 acres (800,000 m²)."
"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."
"The building was featured
prominently in the 2003 film My Architect, detailing the career and
familial legacy of its architect, Louis Kahn. Robert McCarter, author of Louis
I. Kahn, described the National Parliament of Bangladesh as one of the
twentieth century's most significant buildings."
"The Bhaban consists of nine
individual blocks: the eight peripheral blocks rise to a height of 110' while
the central octagonal block rises to a height of 155'. All nine blocks include
different groups of functional spaces and have different levels, inter-linked
horizontally and vertically by corridors, lifts, stairs, light courts, and
circular areas. The entire structure is designed to blend into one single,
non-differentiable unit, that appears from the exterior to be a single story."
"The main committee rooms
are located at level two in one of the peripheral blocks. All parliamentary
functionaries, including Ministers and chairpersons of some of the Standing
Committees, have offices in the Bhaban. The Parliament Secretariat also occupies
offices in the same building."
The efficient and aesthetic use of light was a strong
architectural capability of Louis Kahn.
"The most important part of
the Main Plaza is the Parliament Chamber, which can house up to 354 members
during sessions. There are also two podiums and two galleries for VIP visitors.
The Chamber has a maximum height of 117' with a parabolic shell roof. The roof
was designed with a clearance of a single story to let in daylight. Daylight,
reflecting from the surrounding walls and octagonal drum, filters into the
Parliament Chamber.
The artificial lighting
system has been carefully devised to provide zero obstruction to the entry of
daylight. A composite chandelier is suspended from parabolic shell roof. This
chandelier in turn consists of a metallic web, spanning the entire chamber,
that supports the individual light fixtures."
Unfortunately for me our cameras and mobile phones were confiscated before entering the building. So the two photographs above I borrowed from the respective wikipedia site to give you an impression.
Well I have the impression of an fort. To defend. But what?!
This symbol is also on the coins of the currency.
Yes if one would like to enter the building one has to do so "underground".
Oh what a day! First the CNG (tuktuk) drives did not bring us to the
main gate but to an side entrance. So we had to find a second one to
get us there. Then we were forbidden to go up the main stairwell - which
turned out to be a good thing because the guard brought us to the rest
of the group, who were already waiting to enter the building. Without
the guard I guess we would not have found them. My patience with this
country and its inhabitants is slipping...
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