Local Cultures – Global Spaces

Abstract

The enduring waves of colonization have left permanent marks on global cultures, spaces, and built environments, particularly in South Asia. The construction of the National Assembly Complex in Bangladesh, designed by American architect Louis Kahn following the partition of India in 1947 and Pakistani rule, stands as a testament to the colonial legacies within architecture. This study proposes a critical examination of this building through its design, materiality, and history. In addition, it proposes to decolonize existing architectural education and discourse by implementing strategies and knowledge to foster a more local spatial practice. The decision to build a capital complex in East Pakistan, later Bangladesh, driven more by political benefits than democratic principles, introduces Western architectural norms to a post-colonial region, exemplified by the letters exchanged between Kahn and the Public Works Department. This geopolitical landscape is catalyzed by extensive American influence, modernization, and bringing architects like Louis Kahn, Stanley Tigerman, and Paul Rudolph to Bangladesh. Despite adversities during the liberation war, the capital complex’s completion in 1983 symbolizes Bangladesh’s national identity. This raises the question of a foreign architectural emblem representing the national and cultural identity of Bangladesh’s sovereign republic. The existing narrative within Bangladeshi mainstream education idolizes this project as a modern architectural marvel, overlooking colonial undertones. In addition to an emphasis on colonial symbolism carried by material choices, like exposed concrete and brick. This research urges the importance of re-evaluating and re-contextualizing established architectural curricula fostering a better understanding of social architectural history to refine contemporary discourse and practice.