You might have
watched the movie ‘My Architect’ about the life and work of Louis Kahn. At least
for me it was one of the major reasons to come to Bangladesh. I wanted to see
the (in)famous building which is loved by some and hated by the others. Yes it
is brutal, but for the Bangladeshis it is a sign of their independence and
hence the few I spoke to loved it. I remember a cab ride in Sydney with a
Bangladeshi driver, he was telling me proudly about it.
Construction started in 1961 initiated by the Government of Pakistan and it was only finished in 1982. Louis Kahn died in 1974 and hence hasn't seen his building himself.
Sadly I hadn’t had a chance to see it from
inside. I tried to gain access but apparently you need a special permission
which is only granted to people who have special connections – well that wasn’t
me. I was thinking of the German Reichstag which is open to the public and you
can literally walk on top of the politicians – for the history conscious German
s it is a symbol for transparency of their politics.
In the chaos
of Dhaka, the building is a great achievement. I can only imagine the tranquil
environment in the huge voids once you made it inside. Let’s hope that the
tranquility can somehow contribute to change the future of the country to its
better. more images
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| Plan: greatbuildings.com |
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