National Parliament of Bangladesh

Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban the National Parliament of Bangladesh, (Bengali: জাতীয় সংসদ ভবন Jatio Shôngshod Bhôbon) is the Jatiyo Sangshad or National Assembly of Bangladesh, located at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the Bangladeshin capital of Dhaka. Designed by architect Louis Kahn, the complex, which accommodates all Bangladesh's seven parliaments, is one of the largest legislative complexes in the world, comprising 200 acres (800,000 m²

History of use by Parliament

Seven Parliaments have used the Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban as the assembly building:

1. Second Parliament: 2 years 11 months (2 April 1979 - 24 March 1982)
2. Third Parliament: 1 year 5 months (10 July 1986 - 6 December 1987)
3. Fourth Parliament: 2 years 7 months (15 April 1988 - 6 December 1990)
4. Fifth Parliament: 4 years 8 months (5 April 1991 - 24 November 1995)
5. Sixth Parliament: 12 days (19 March 1996 - 30 March 1996)
6. Seventh Parliament: 5 years (14 July 1996 - 13 July 2001)
7. Eighth Parliament: 5 years (28 October 2001 - 27 October 2006)

Architecture and design

Louis Kahn designed the entire Jatiyo 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 Jatiyo 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.

Location and basic layout

The enclave, situated in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, is bounded by four major streets:

• Lake Road to the North;
• Rokeya Sarani to the East;
• Manik Mia Avenue to the South; and
• Mirpur Road to the West.

The Bhaban (Main Building) design

The Bhaban consists of nine individual blocks: the eight peripheral blocks rise to a height of 110' while the central octagonal block rises to a height of 155'. All nine blocks include different groups of functional spaces and have different levels, inter-linked horizontally and vertically by corridors, lifts, stairs, light courts, and circular areas. The entire structure is designed to blend into one single, non-differentiable unit, that appears from the exterior to be a single story.
The main committee rooms are located at level two in one of the peripheral blocks. All parliamentary functionaries, including Ministers and chairpersons of some of the Standing Committees, have offices in the Bhaban. The Parliament Secretariat also occupies offices in the same building.

The Main Plaza

The most important part of the Main Plaza is the Parliament Chamber, which can house up to 354 members during sessions. There are also two podiums and two galleries for VIP visitors. The Chamber has a maximum height of 117' with a parabolic shell roof. The roof was designed with a clearance of a single story to let in daylight. Daylight, reflecting from the surrounding walls and octagonal drum, filters into the Parliament Chamber. The efficient and aesthetic use of light was a strong architectural capability of Louis Kahn.
The artificial lighting system has been carefully devised to provide zero obstruction to the entry of daylight. A composite chandelier is suspended from parabolic shell roof. This chandelier in turn consists of a metallic web, spanning the entire chamber, that supports the individual light fixtures.
Upper levels of the block (that contains the Chamber) contain the visitor and press galleries, as well as communication booths, all of which overlook the Parliament Chamber. The block also contains:

• at level one, a library;
• at level three, MPs’ lounges; and
• at the upper level, party rooms.

The South Plaza

The South Plaza faces the Manik Mia Avenue. It gradually rises to a 20' height and serves as a beautiful exterior as well as the main entrance (used by members during sessions) to the Parliament Building. It contains:

• controlling gates;
• a driveway;
• a main mechanical plant room;
• a large car parking space;
• a telephone exchange;
• offices of maintenance engineers;
• equipment stores; and
• an open plaza with steps and ramps leading directly to the main building.

Presidential Plaza

The Presidential Plaza lies to the North and faces the Lake Road. It functions as an intimate plaza for the MPs and other dignitaries. It contains marble steps, a gallery and an open pavement.

Other information

• Completion date: 1982
• Function: civic
• Construction cost: US$32 million