The parliament house of Bangladesh in Dhaka was designed by Louis Kahn, who received the commission in the early 1960s, when Dhaka was the second capital of Pakistan. Work stopped during Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971, then resumed without changes to the design. Kahn died in 1974, and the complex was completed in 1982.
The main building is a cluster of massive concrete forms. Its huge walls are deeply recessed and cut with large openings in pure geometric shapes, such as circles and triangles. An artificial lake wraps around three sides, a nod to the river landscape of Bangladesh.
Covering 208 acres, it is one of the largest legislative complexes in the world. The main building is open only to members and staff, but the grounds are open to visitors.
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