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It’s hard to find people who haven’t seen the Bangladesh National Parliament building. No matter where you live if you visited Dhaka, chances are you had already been to Sher-E-Bangla Nagar and saw the parliament building. The architectural style of the Bangladesh Parliament Building is very most iconic in the world.

Construction plan

National parliament building Lake
National parliament building lake

When Dhaka was declared as the second capital of Pakistan, the plan for constructing a parliament building was conceived in Sher-E-Bangla Nagar. Famous American architect of that time, Louis Kahn was handed over the responsibility to design the building. After submitting the design to the government in 1962, a budget of $15,000,000 was allotted in 1964. The construction work was temporarily stopped during the liberation war. But the construction resumed in 1974 according to the primary plan, although the construction came to a sudden halt when Louis Kahn died.

After the death of Louis Kahn, architect Majharul Islam was entrusted with the task of finishing the rest of the construction of the parliament building. The construction of this magnificent installation was completed in 1982. It was inaugurated by the Chief Justice of Bangladesh Abdus Sattar at that time. The construction cost $32 million to complete. Although the official activities started in January, the first session of Parliament was held on 15th February 1982.

Architectural style of the Bangladesh parliament building

National parliament building complex
National parliament building complex

The entire building is divided into nine separate sections. Each of the sections is 33.53 meters high, except the central one which is 48.24 meters in height. Although there are different independent sections, it is designed to be like one unit from the exterior. The building is surrounded by an artificial lake, which looks as if the whole building is floating on water. The lake is the symbol of the riverine Bangladesh.

He has made special arrangements in the design for light to enter the building. He resorted to geometric shapes such as circles, semicircles, squares, and triangles as design elements. Also, he used a clever design technique to hide the poles in the geometric structures. So on the surface, it will seem as if there are no poles.

Complex area

National parliament building complex
Entrance of National parliament building complex

The main building of the parliament is divided into three parts – Main Plaza, South Plaza, and Presidential Plaza. The main building is located in the center of the complex. The MP hostel and emergency buildings are located outside the complex.

Main Plaza

The Parliament chamber is the most important part of the Main Plaza. It has a seating arrangement for 354 members at the same time. There are two platforms for seating VIPs and two galleries. This room is 118 feet in height. The ceiling of the room is made transparent so that daylight can easily enter the chamber. One special architectural style of the Bangladesh parliament building is its efficient and aesthetic use of light.
There is also a seating area for guests at the top of the main plaza and a gallery for the media. There is also a library, a lounge for MPs, and an auditorium.

Main Plaza: 823,000 sft

South Plaza

The South Plaza of the Parliament building can be seen from Manik Mia Avenue. It is used as the main entrance to the Parliament building during the Parliament session. The 20-foot-tall building also has an entrance, driveway, a main mechanical plant room, offices of maintenance engineers, equipment stores; and an open plaza with steps and ramps leading directly to the main building.

South Plaza: 223,000 sft

Presidential Plaza

Lake Road is located in front of the Presidential Plaza. It is mainly used for MPs and other dignitaries. Inside the plaza are marble floors, galleries, and wide walkways.

Presidential Plaza: 65,000 sft

The Bangladesh Parliament Building is one of the most notable structures in Bangladesh when it comes to architectural design and engineering. It is a building with exceptional architectural features that is still unique not only in Bangladesh but also in the world.

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