Bangladesh National Parliament House

Description

The Parliament of Bangladesh, built between 1962 and 1982, is a posthumous work of the great 20th century architectural master Louis Kahn. Its architectural language is inspired by the monumentality of Roman buildings and the modern tradition. On this occasion it serves as a symbol of the new nation of Bangladesh. The democratic vocation of the nascent country is reflected in the design, which places the great assembly of the people's representatives at its centre. Eight subsidiary halls surround the main hall, forming a sort of concentric citadel. A fortress emerges from a man-made lake, expressing both strength and openness. The centralised plan of the building has been related to historical examples of Western architecture such as St. Peter's in the Vatican, but also to local Buddhist architecture. This syncretic spiritual connection was central to Kahn's project. Not for nothing was he himself a follower of the work of Rabindranath Tagore, who advocated an art in search of "eternal reality". The parliament building is the centrepiece of an ensemble that stretches along the arms of the artificial lake. Cylindrical and cubic volumes take root on its shore, following the language of the main building and housing residences and civic spaces for parliamentarians. The emphatic materiality of the pieces reflects the tectonic will and at the same time the connection with local traditions. The central building is made of concrete, while the secondary buildings are made of brick. The strength of the walls favours climate control through thermal inertia, while the geometry generates inlets and outlets that produce essential air currents in the summer months.  The natural elements of the Bangladeshi landscape, marked by the continuous presence of water and marshes, are important leitmotifs of the complex. Kahn's project introduces them by domesticating them and making them part of the new human landscape. Natural light plays a key role in shaping the interior atmosphere, penetrating both from above and through the large triangular and semicircular openings.