LOUIS KHAN’S JATIYA SANGSAD BHABAN (NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BUILDING) SARANYADEVI RAJALAKSHMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, THANDALAM, CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU-602105
ABSTRACT This paper sets the scene of the research depicting the history of Bangladesh and its culture. In outlining this background and context, this paper connects the Jatio Sangsad Bhaban(JSB), the National Assembly Building, to its main sources of inspiration and reference. It provides the rationale for this research paper focused dissertation and discusses the issue of nationalism as the main discourse of the research. In the following texts, it been discussed many features such as factors responsible for the building, sequence of events that led to the evolution of the building, design philosophy, style, architectural features, social impact and present condition of the building.
INTRODUCTION Louis khan’s works are considered as monumental beyond modernism. Famous for his meticulously-built works, his provocative proposals that remained unbuilt. Complex spatial compositions and choreographic mastery of light. Kahn created a style that was monumental and monolithic; his heavy buildings for the most part do not hide their weight, their materials, or the way they are assembled. Louis khan was stepped in classicism by his beaux arts education and his experience at the American Academy in Rome. He came to India in 1962. Khan’s influence on the Indian architectural scene occurred in much same way as Le corbusier but the time, volume, location and size of his work resulted in a lesser impact. In South Asian work he was able to explore the use of brick in a way that he had been unable to do in America. His Indian experiences thus very much influenced the later American architecture. ‘Kahn's expressive architecture became the symbol of a young nation’
FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BUILDING In 1947, British rule over India came to an end. As a result of the ensuing partition, two independent countries were born: India and Pakistan, the latter made up two territorial entities, namely West and East Pakistan. Dominated by the former, East Pakistan soon became a hot bed for autonomist movement. In 1959 the government of Pakistan, then centralised in the western wing of the country, decided to establish a second capital in east Pakistan, with the aim of bridging the gap between the two provinces. Each of the two capitals was invested with responsibilities of its own, which were nevertheless interrelated. The secretariat was set up in Islamabad, in West Pakistan, and the assembly building was designated to be in Dhaka, in East Pakistan.
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS THAT LED TO THE EVOLUTION OF THE BUILDING In 1970, due to socio- economic factors and devastating floods, the movements were seeking independence for East Pakistan gained momentum. The ensuing repression imposed by Islamabad sparked off the civil war of 1971. Thanks to Indian support, East Pakistan achieved independence, adopting the name of Bangladesh, and Dhaka became its capital. In 1971, the assembly building designed for East Pakistan became the main Assembly Hall of the new nation of Bangladesh.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY Kahn's key design philosophy optimizes the use of space while representing Bangladeshi heritage and culture. External lines are deeply recessed by porticoes with huge openings of regular geometric shapes on their exterior, shaping the building's overall visual impact. “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. It was not belief, not design, not pattern, but the essence from which an institution could emerge. “ -Louis khan.
STYLE OF THE BUILDING Modernist architecture is traditionally understood to be utilitarian, sleek, and most of all without context, such that it can be placed in any context and still stay true to aesthetic principles and its functional requirements. However, Louis Kahn’s National Assembly Building of Bangladesh in Dhaka is an extraordinary example of modern architecture being
transcribed as a part of Bangali vernacular architecture. The National Assembly building, completed in 1982, stands as one of Kahn’s most prominent works, but also as a symbolic monument to the government of Bangladesh. As mentioned before modern architecture does not bode well with identity; its identity sits within the autonomous dichotomy of modern architects and their work far from culture and architectural precedents. The National Assembly Building is unique in the sense that it is modernist in principle, but it is a project deeply rooted in its context, the citizens, and Bangali vernacular. The geometric shapes found on the different faces of the façade add a dramatic impact to the overall composition of the building. The geometric shapes are abstracted forms found in traditional Bangali culture that are meant to create a marriage of old and new cultural identities, as well as, serve as light wells and a natural environmental control system for the interior. For Kahn, light was an important aspect in the design of a building, not just as a way to illuminate a space, but rather conceptualizing light as a creator of space.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES OF THE BUILDING 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 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 Jatiya 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 National Assembly Building sits as a massive entity in the Bengali desert; there are eight halls that are concentrically aligned around the parliamentary grand chamber, which is not only a metaphor for placing the new democratic government at the heart of the building. It also is part of Kahn’s design objectives to optimize spatial configurations where the supporting programs (offices, hotels for parliamentary officials, and a restaurant) project out of the center volume. The entire complex is fabricated out of poured in place concrete with inlaid white marble, which is not only a modernist statement of power and presence, but is more of a testament to the local materials and values. The sheer mass of the monumentally scaled National Assembly and the artificial lake surrounding the building act as a natural insulator and cooling system that also begin to create interesting spatial and lighting conditions
PRESENT CONDITIONS OF THE BUILDING This building is mainly used for Assembly sessions and International conferences. Sessions are held 4 times a year, each lasing 10 to 15 days. Hostels are occupied by government ministers, with their families and servants, as well as the servant’s families. Houses are occupied by high ranking military personnel with their families and servants. The environment with its large water surface is highly appreciated by the people and it is used by the people as a public park.
SOCIAL IMPACT OF THE BUILDING The Assembly Complex building has become the symbol of Bangladesh. It represents all the notations of order and social justice of a people living in need and poverty. Arising from the desire of establishing government power, it has become the image of the ideals of development and democratisation. Its stature, its quality and its space dominate a generally mediocre urban environment. The presence of water surface and green expanses, the site has become a heaven of calm, and a meeting place for the inhabitants.
CRITICAL APPRAISAL ‘Architecture and Meaning’. The presence of multiple meanings for symbolic and iconic buildings like the Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban is a widely accepted and topical phenomenon in the contemporary scholarly architecture field, surpassing the view of architecture as mere structure. Multiple meanings not only enrich and enhance the qualitative standard of symbolic architecture but also maintain its status as a socio-political and cultural construct rather than a physical entity. The various multiple meanings of the Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban generate new perceptions, evoke new thoughts and provide new insights enhancing its symbolic nature. Architecture exhibits a ‘wealth of symbol’ and conveys ‘multifarious meaning’. It conveys cultural, political, social and intellectual meaning as a symbolic and metaphoric expression. These expressions emerge from the sensation of feeling which is at the core of architectural understanding of subjective meaning. The feelings evoked vary from person to person — an architect may respond in one way, a historian or sociologist may respond in another way. ‘Without this power or quality to evoke feeling, a work of architecture is a mere image on the retina of the eye’.
HIS FAMOUS QUOTES “Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.” “A great building must begin with the unmeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is being designed and in the end must be unmeasurable.” “Architecture is the reaching out for the truth.”
CONCLUSION While the exploration of the multitude of historic and contemporary political and cultural and spatial issues and style and design philosophy of Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban may provide disturbing insights that disrupt our view of the Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban as a grand edifice, the complex views, design, style and meanings discussed in this research paper underpin the uniqueness and richness of the building. Thus the Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban transcends from mere building to multidimensional meaningful architecture. ‘Meaning is therefore, a necessary part of what makes a building architecture’.
REFERENCE Design Philosophies of Louis I kahn by Abhishek kumar Building Analysis - Louis Kahn (2016) by Lachlan Welsh Case study by Munyao Veronica https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/national-assembly-of-bangladesh/ https://www.archdaily.com/83071/ad-classics-national-assembly-building-of-bangladesh-louis-kahn