The parliament house of Bangladesh, the National Assembly (Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban in Bangla) is the central structure in Dhaka’s Capitol Complex designed by American architect Louis Kahn. It is one of the most widely recognised Modernist buildings in the country, and one of Kahn’s key works, featuring inspirations from Roman, Bengali and Mughal architecture. 

Background

Planning for the assembly building in Dhaka (then part of East Pakistan) began in 1959; it was intended to serve the region as a second parliament house for the government of Pakistan, which was headquartered in the erstwhile West Pakistan. The pioneering Bengali architect Muzharul Islam was originally commissioned to design it, but he passed it on to Kahn, who undertook the project, with Kafiluddin Ahmed, then chief engineer of the Public Works Department, overseeing it. Construction began in 1962 and was completed in 1982, with Bangladesh’s emergence as an independent nation (1971), and Kahn’s death (1974) intervening. The project was completed under the supervision of Kahn’s colleague Henry Wilcots, and the complex served as the new nation’s parliamentary centre.

During this period a number of international architects were working in Bangladesh, largely for American development projects. The National Assembly became a highly significant project for Kahn, whose style some scholars have described as ‘magic internationalism’, transcending both universalism and regionalism. He spent over a decade conceptualising the design for the National Assembly building, which exemplifies his concern for light and monumentality, as well as his mystical approach towards forms and their organisation — he drew on spiritual interactions between fundamental geometrical forms, often creating plans that resembled crystals or mandalas. Through a Western Modernist lens, the Capitol Complex’s design and materials referenced the riverine landscape of the region, the central role of religion in the nation’s politics, as well as historical influences from various parts of the world; while also being climate-responsive. 

Design and construction

The Capitol Complex in Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar is among the largest legislative enclaves in the world, consisting of numerous buildings and open spaces arranged in a rectilinear, mostly symmetrical plan on either side of a north-south axis. The National Assembly is a monumental building located at its centre. It comprises an octagonal assembly chamber seating about 300 people, ringed by cylindrical and cuboidal volumes housing various subsidiary functions. A large mosque is located at the main (south) entrance, emphasised through a slight rotation of axis relative to the rest of the structure, which aligns it to face Mecca. The complex is set amidst an artificial lake, with more structures, including residences for members of parliament, lined up along its bank, interspersed with open lawns. 

The massive walls are made using exposed cast-in-situ concrete — frequently used in South Asian modernist architecture — decorated with thin bands of white marble, recalling the marble inlay work of Mughal architecture. The open areas immediately surrounding the building, including the platform it stands on, are clad in red brick — a characteristic choice for Kahn, and in this context variously interpreted by scholars as either a nod to medieval Bengali terracotta construction or the use of bricks in Roman architecture. The open surroundings allow ambient light to permeate through the building through various portals, while the thick walls along with the lake insulate the interiors from heat. The building’s outermost shell features large square, triangular and circular cutouts that invite interaction with the environment through the play of light and air, filtered into the building through deeply recessed windows with tall wooden slats in the inner shell. These, as well as the hollow structural columns, serve as light-wells permitting sunlight to spread dramatically along the interior surfaces and the numerous pathways connecting the building’s various levels. The parabolic shell roof and perforated drum above the central octagonal hall also filter in natural light as well as air.

The creation of the lake, besides being a homage to the region’s numerous waterways that are foundational to Bengali culture and society, was part of Kahn’s conception of ‘dig and mound’, in which excavated earth serves as the base for a structure. The building was thereby envisioned as emerging from the ground, also reflecting Kahn’s observations of traditional Bengali architecture. Its scale and treatment were influenced by the ruins of the Caracalla Baths in Rome, which inspired Kahn to create a ‘constructed ruin’. 

Legacy and accolades

The National Assembly building was given the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1989. Postage stamps marked with the building’s image have been issued multiple times, beginning in 1968 with a rendering made from the structure’s plans, but particularly in the early 2000s. It has featured on 10-taka and 50-taka currency notes. It has also been the subject of a number of books and other media about Louis Kahn’s life and work, including the film My Architect (2003) by his son Nathaniel Kahn.

Criticism and present-day use

Critics of the building’s design have argued that its imposing scale, utopic vision and abstract Modernist aesthetic, while claiming Bengali vernacular influences in planning and form, remain alien to the Bangladeshi context. The cost of construction and maintenance — by its completion, the building cost double the projected estimate — has also been a point of contention. Others find the building’s symbolism, particularly Kahn’s evocation of a ‘constructed ruin’ as insensitive to a country which has struggled with actual natural disasters, poverty, and a turbulent modern history. 

While it continues to serve as the house of parliament, the building has become increasingly restricted to the public due to security concerns; its lawns, initially popular among citizens as recreational spaces, are now off-limits. The structure suffered from vandalism when crowds stormed the complex in August 2024 demanding the resignation of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Internally, the building has suffered from poor maintenance and haphazard modifications compromising its original design.