PARLIAMENT HOUSE

ABOUT

Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban or National Parliament House, (জাতীয় সংসদ ভবন) is the house of the Parliament of Bangladesh, located at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. Designed by architect Louis Kahn, the complex is one of the largest legislative complexes in the world, comprising 200 acres (800,000 m²)

The building was featured prominently in the 2003 film My Architect, detailing the career and familial legacy of its architect, Louis Kahn. Robert McCarter, author of Louis I. Kahn, described the National Parliament of Bangladesh as one of the twentieth century's most significant buildings.

History

Before its completion, the first and second Parliaments used the Old Sangsad Bhaban, which currently serves as the Prime Minister's Office.

Construction was started in 1961 when Bangladesh was East Pakistan, led by Ayub Khan from the West Pakistan capital of Islamabad. As part of his efforts to decrease the disparity and secessionist tendencies of East Pakistan, Khan aimed to make Dhaka a second capital, with appropriate facilities for an assembly.

Jatiya Sangsad was designed by Louis Kahn. The government sought assistance from South Asian activist and architect Muzharul Islam who recommended bringing in the world's top architects for the project. He initially attempted to bring Alvar Aalto and Le Corbusier, who were both were unavailable at the time. Islam then enlisted his former teacher at Yale, Louis Kahn.

Construction was halted during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and was completed on 28 January 1982. Kahn died when the project was approximately three-quarters completed and it continued under David Wisdom, who worked for Kahn.

History of use by Parliament

Seven Parliaments have used the Jatiya 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)
8. Ninth Parliament: 5 years ( April 2009 – 4 May 2014)
9. Tenth Parliament : Running