ABSTRACT
Bangladesh’s capitol complex in Dhaka is both an important facility for an emerging nation-state and a stage in the evolution of an architect’s work; as such, like the cases discussed in Chapters 6–8, it can be seen in relation to both a society and an individual’s career. While this is not the place to review the whole of Louis Kahn’s architectural oeuvre, it would certainly seem that the massive concrete National Assembly building and its brick outbuildings, completed in 1983, are more easily located in relation to Kahn’s other works than in relation to the rest of Dhaka. That the building complex is in fact perceived by some as an alternative to Dhaka rather than a part of it may be judged from the persistence of references to it in Western architectural shorthand as “Dhaka” or “the Dhaka building,” as if this city-region of well over 10 million people had no other (9.1–9.3). 1 Bangladesh. A map outlines Bangladesh, bordered by India and Burma. Key locations, including Dhaka, Shere Banglanagar, and Calcutta, are marked with text and dots. The Bay of Bengal is at the bottom.https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="black-white" xlink:href="https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315880921/4184ab9b-0966-4e09-8c5b-59e7f0ebe2d9/content/fig9_1_B.jpg"/> Location of capitol complex in Dhaka. A map of Dhaka features roads, the Buriganga River, and key locations like the Capitol Complex, Military Cantonment, Presidential Secretariat, National Museum, Supreme Court, Old City, and Lalbagh Fort.https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="black-white" xlink:href="https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315880921/4184ab9b-0966-4e09-8c5b-59e7f0ebe2d9/content/fig9_2_B.tif"/> The Citadel of Assembly, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Bangladesh National Assembly building, a modern architectural marvel, features geometric shapes, including triangles and circles, set against a backdrop of horizontal lines and a grand staircase.https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="black-white" xlink:href="https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315880921/4184ab9b-0966-4e09-8c5b-59e7f0ebe2d9/content/fig9_3_B.jpg"/>
