National Parliament Building, Bangladesh

 National Parliament Building, Bangladesh

 Located in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, built on 208 acres of land and designed by famous American architect Louis I Kahn, is one of the architectural landmarks of the subcontinent. Jatiya Sangsad Bhavan is the main building of the National Parliament of Bangladesh. It is located in Shere-Bangla Nagar area of ​​Dhaka.Of the eight parliamentary elections held so far in Bangladesh, the parliamentary sessions formed after the first and second elections are held in the old Sangsad Bhavan, which is currently used as the Prime Minister's office. The then government of Pakistan started construction of the National Parliament building in 1961 for the legislatures for East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (now Pakistan).After construction work was completed on 28 January 1982, the first Sangsad Bhavan was used for the eighth (and last) session of the Second Parliament of Bangladesh on 15 February of the same year. Since then, this building has been used as the main center for legislation and government activities.Jatiya Sangsad Bhavan is a part of Jatiya Sangsad Complex.

The complex also has beautiful gardens, an artificial lake and the residence of members of parliament. The main building (Parliament Building) is divided into three parts: Main Plaza: 823,000 square feet (76,000 square meters); South Plaza: 223,000 square feet (21,000 square meters); Presidential Plaza: 65,000 square feet (6,000 square meters). The main building is located in the center of the complex.MP hostel and emergency buildings are located outside the complex. The artificial lake surrounding the main building fills the space between the two gardens. The main building is made up of nine separate blocks: the central octagonal block is 155 feet high and the other eight blocks are 110 feet high.The space of each block is divided according to different functions, horizontally and vertically interconnecting the blocks with corridors, lifts, stairs and circular paths. The entire building has been designed in such a way that all the blocks can be combined into one block of common space.The main part of the main plaza is the parliament session hall. 354 member resources are kept here at the same time.

There are two podiums and two galleries for VIPs. The height of the meeting room with elliptical roof is 117 feet. The roof is made transparent so that daylight can enter it. Sunlight enters the session room reflecting off the surrounding walls and the octagonal drum.(The aesthetics and maximum use of light is a testament to Louis Kahn's architectural abilities) Artificial light is divided in such a way that it does not obstruct the penetration of sunlight. Chandeliers descend from the oval ceiling. The use of metal in its architecture serves as the base for each light source. An adjacent block on the second floor houses the main committee rooms. All types of parliamentary activities, ministers, chairpersons and standing committee offices are housed in this building. The same building also has some offices allocated for the Parliamentary Secretary. The architectural philosophy of this establishment was based on maximum utilization of space and highlighting the heritage and culture of Bangladesh through architectural style. Man's struggle for survival against the various adversities of nature is depicted through architecture.