Frontiers of Architectural Research 11 (2022) 89e102

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

ScienceDirect

journal homepage: www.keaipublishing.com/foar

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Kahn’s light: The measurable and the

unmeasurable of the Bangladesh National
Assembly Building
Blerim Lutolli a,*, Kaltrina Jashanica b

a
Bauhaus University Weimar, Weimar, 99423, Germany
b
Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazza Borghese, 9, Roma RM, 00186, Italy

Received 24 June 2021; received in revised form 20 September 2021; accepted 27 September 2021

KEYWORDS Abstract To incline and unfold the constituent elements of Louis I. Kahn’s architecture and
Louis Kahn; philosophy, a precise attention must lie on the fundamental objectives that he vigorously pur-
Light; sued and mastered, especially in his latest works. This work focuses attention on Louis Kahn’s
Architecture; idiosyncratic approach to light manipulation which he used to shape his architecture. That’s
Dhakka due to the constant coherence of his approach even today. As we are merged in the plurality
of fonts that haul our discipline, we constantly question the real sense of architecture and
what makes it intelligible. Kahn’s method drew conclusions and seeked for this sense through
precise fonts: lessons from the past, current modernist flow, and the context. He combined
and transformed these inspirations distinctively through his own sensitivity to achieve that
spiritual value and its own true sense that architecture should retain in its form. Thus, it is
considered of utmost interest to rethink his approach and particularly to reflect today on
the pertinence of his main architectural parameter: Light.
ª 2021 Higher Education Press Limited Company. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf
of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

1. Kahn and the fundamentals characterized by harmonized oppositions of abstraction

Writing about Louis Kahn (1901e1974) is not a straight-
forward task. His formative path is selective but inclusive,
* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: blerim.lutolli@uni-weimar.de (B. Lutolli),
kaltrina.jashanica@gmail.com (K. Jashanica).
Peer review under responsibility of Southeast University.
and empathy, finite and infinite or as he stressed,
measurable and ‘unmeasurable’, continually seeking to
give a tangible form of that eternal, spiritual and timeless.
An American classical modernist trained under the Beaux-
Arts system at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadel-
phia (1920e1924), tutelage of Paul Cret was presented
with classical grammar and principles as axial, hierarchi-
cal govern of compositions. The considerations of tradi-
tion, the references to history were prompted later with

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2021.09.005
2095-2635/ª 2021 Higher Education Press Limited Company. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
 B. Lutolli and K. Jashanica
his travels to Rome, Greece, and Egypt. Ex. Learning from
Roman architecture’s formal simplicity, which is dense in
details and meanings was not an easy process; it required
decades to transpose the essential orders into a new
interpretation that later would become the mainstay of
his architectural ideology.
Nonetheless, Kahn did not design by analogy. He
extrapolated, reinterpreted the architecture of the past,
and gave a universal sense. His method consisted of abso-
luteness and a dichotomous approach to design that had to
be resolved, because only in this way could an event be
represented, given a meaning, and become a part of the
everyday dynamic. Every architectural act must have a
sense and prescribe an event rather than a mere matter of
abstract formal composition. Kahn philosophy can be
assumed in three fundamental aspects which he looked up
in a building/architecture.
-the unity, the absoluteness of architectural work, a
building that represents to some extent even in meta-
physical terms the ideal character of the built; the sense
the physical element assumes, stripped from the unnec-
essary to proclaim, only the essential.
-the sense of origin in architecture, an architecture
capable of inciting a new origin, a new sense of place that is
precisely matched to the context, a concept that Kahn also
recuperates via his studies of classical architecture and tradi-
tion, an element that was saturated in modernist priorities.
-the concept of institution, an architecture able to
create community and represent the values of this com-
munity. The building conveys the sense of the event that
happens in its space.
Here are interrogated the parameters necessary to ach-
ieve these goals and consist, firstly, the platonic geometrical
forms that rely on absolute order; the layering and density
with which space is built through these forms; and finally,
how the light is projected to define these spaces.
Furthermore, Kahn’s idealistic approach led him to a
fundamental organization of these primary forms, in which
the centrality of spaces was emphasized to express the
meaning of the type of institution and is shaped accordingly
to the character of the building and the social order it is
supposed to reflect. As a result, this embodied symbolic ge-
ometry is analogical to his vision of nature, which has spiri-
tual roots for universal abstraction. So, the space became
symbolic. Kahn intentions were to evoke the ‘immeasurable’
in order to give to a part of reality an ultimate quality of
transcendence, where ‘space, light, and structure can be
fused’ (Curtis, 1982) and that reality had measurable quality,
which is controlled with precision depending on the material
and constructive means (Curtis, 1982). In this sense, Kahn
defines a concept of new monumentality that is not related
to size but rather on a higher order of measurable.
The highest architectural maturity is represented in one
of his most recent works, the National Assembly Building in
Dhaka (Fig. 1), which embodies all of his architectural
principles, including character, spirituality, order, and
monumentality.
“This project was a window into his soul. He needed it.
He wanted it to be right. It meant as much to him as
anything in his life, more perhaps, and he was using all
the will he had toward getting it finished” (Kahn, 2003).
90
Fig. 1 Dhaka National Assembly Building (1961e1982);
Source: Wikimedia Bangladesh.
2. Methodology
The focus of the study is on the observation and translation
of optical experiences, as well as their interpretations and
reflections, which are directed by Kahn’s writing and
complemented with pictures, sketches, and plans. The first
analytical approach provides an unparalleled insight into
the philosophical background of the architect through a
logical argumentation of textual and graphic material. The
tendency is to comprehend, reconsider and discuss the
potential concepts in contemporaneity. As Kahn’s theory of
light is considered a generator to his architectural pro-
duction, the objective lies in deciphering the process
through this major influential parameter. One of his most
advocated works, the Dhaka National Assembly Building, is
considered an example to be reminisced and elaborated.
Thus, the second part is re-elaborated the geometrical
appraisal of ideal forms and spatial modulation attentively.
How geometry permits light to quantify the space, and as a
result, how light becomes the primary element for sculpt-
ing architecture. The last section focuses entirely on light
and its sublime qualities, its relationship to mass and void,
and to the choice of materials and the implications that
follow- to transmit the meaning of architecture poetically
and to dignify the social order as well. The observations
below are supported with a stringent selection of illustra-
tive views, plans, and Kahn comments on his own design
philosophy.
3. Dhaka National Assembly Building: two
decades of work
Undoubtedly, Dhaka National Assembly Building remains
one of the most complicated works of Kahn’s architecture
when it comes to the interplay of light and mass composed
in a very controlled geometrical system of forms (Ching et
al., 2017). Every architectural act seemed to be the
extended and more sophisticated version of previous
buildings.
Kahn dedicated more than a decade to the design of
masterplan (Fig. 2a and b) and building in particular
(1961e1982). The building located at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar,
 Frontiers of Architectural Research 11 (2022) 89e102

Dhaka is considered one of the most legislative enclaves of

Bangladesh. This masterpiece stands at the intersection of
the past, the present and the future. It conveys a distinc-
tive sense to the Bangladeshi nation, not for making it an
exemplary manifestation of modern architecture, but for
representing the symbolic monumentality of a democratic
nation after the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1972. Kahn
offered to this society an idealized order of government; a
new institution and a sacral meaning to secular assembly
blended with the Bangladeshi nation’s architecture, history
and culture in a western perspective. Besides, he considers
this work as extensive influence from antiquity, especially
Roman ruins with Caracalla Baths (Fig. 3) and Bengali
vernacular style. Hence, the building assumes a post-
modern identity rooted in the past while rejecting the an-
onymity of modernism.
The building itself embodies the three crucial concepts
stated above. The sense of origin is achieved through the
form of centrality in where the main activities aggregate,
with the assembly in center considered as a transcendent
nature that is strongly interconnected with other spaces.
That is to emphasize the institutional character which
bounds the social spirit of the place. While absoluteness is
achieved in the sublime of architectural order which is
combined with archaic elements; as there is a coherence
between constituted elements that clarifies the intelligi-
bility of completeness.
4. Dhaka National Assembly Building: The
symbolic forms and spatial integrity
On a broader scale, the works of Kahn in Dhaka particularly,
is a sophisticated case study of mass and void- figure and
ground. The composition works in reverse as well, focusing
Fig. 2 (a) First 3D model proposal. Source: Brownlee, D. Long
(1991). In the Realm of Architecture p.112. (b) Site Plan pro-
posal. Source: Brownlee, D. Long (1991). In the Realm of Ar-
chitecture p.112.
Fig. 3 Caracalla Baths (212-216 AD) (Choisy, 1899, p. 572).
on what happens when the limit of the building meets the
atmospheric mass. The same universal principles of
composition are applied from masterplan to the assembly
of the building itself. Centrality, axiality, hierarchy and
echelon placement of buildings are calibrated within 200
acres.
At Dhaka, buildings are interconnected in a way to form
a single composition. As assembly constitutes the essential
component, the origin of the building from which additional
spaces radiate or are axially located e centrality e be-
comes the governing principle. A circle gives a sense of
unity and implies the prime of social order. “The archi-
tecture of connection.that which connects the useable
space.This is the measure of the architect-the organiza-
tion of the connecting spaces-that which gives the man
walking through the building.a feeling of the entire sense
of the institution” (Kahn, as cited in “Law and Rule” 1961
recited on Brownlee and Long, 1991, p. 112)
In an intimate scale, mass and void, space and form are
interrogated through geometry that further employ the
material and correct intensity of light, whose qualities
would define the character of spaces meant to be allo-
cated. The Euclidean geometry e primary forms are
employed based on the principle of repetition with slight
variations to provide the dynamic balance to the composi-
tion of the whole; unlike the static equilibrium from the
classical lessons. The community sense of the central form
is amplified with the addition of a mosque angled against
the Assembly to face Mecca and to contrast the prevailing
order as depicted in (Fig. 4).
A circular theme generates the final form by juxtaposi-
tion of squares and semi-circular forms in a radial organi-
zation. The interconnection and superimposition of tower-
like volumes e which allocate other functions like galleries,
members’ rooms, grouped around the central space e
generate a series of spatial events characterized as

91
 B. Lutolli and K. Jashanica

Fig. 4 Entry point of National Assembly Building. Source:

Wikimedia Commons.

ambiguous and with the intense poetic charge when cast by

light. This amplification of the architectural system allowed
him to redefine the monumental sense of the building
complex; the centralized Citadel encircled with an outer
layer that gives a solid appearance from the outside
punctured with triangular and semi-circular openings. In
the conscience of the architect, the syntactic and gram-
matical levels coincide.
He achieved a real monolithic sublimity by using of cy-
lindrical and rectangular shapes within a square. Kahn’s
architectural philosophy was to visualize those geometrical
grids and shapes into the Bengali folk architectural tradi-
tion in a broader sense (Ashraf, 1994). These enormous
openings on the external second skin, which hides the small
windows on the first skin and creates shade for the building
complex’s offices, intentionally give the building a monu-
mental grim feature. Kahn’s intention of applying monu-
mentality through these huge unglazed openings and hiding
windows was rooted within Roman architecture. He figured
that if the Romans could do it without glass, so could he
(Scully, 1993).
Moreover, in continuation of the learning of Roman ar-
chitecture, Kahn used the similar approach of using giant
pillars at the entry point of the National Assembly Building
(Fig. 4). This reflects his ideologies of making it a man’s
institution where they gather for unity. It is also worth
Fig. 6 Paharpur Buddhist monastery. Source: Banglapedia.
noting that a similar concept is also noticed at the entry
gate pillars in the ruins of the Caracalla Baths (Fig. 5).
“My design at Dhaka is inspired, actually by the Baths of
Caracalla, but much extended. The residential spaces of
this building are an amphitheater. This residual space, a
space that is found, a court. Around it there are gardens,
and in the body of the building, which is the amphithe-
ater, are the interiors, and in the interiors are the levels
of gardens and places that honor the athlete and places
that honor the knowledge of how you were made. All
these are places of well-being and places for rest and
places where one gets advice about how to live forever
..and so that is what inspired the design.”(Kahn, as
cited in Lobell, 1985, p. 86)

Fig. 5 Caracalla Baths (212-216 AD). Source: Wikimedia Fig. 7 Artificial Lake of National Assembly Building. Source:
Commons. Wikimedia Commons.

92
 Frontiers of Architectural Research 11 (2022) 89e102

Fig. 8 (a) Main Floor Plan. Source: Drawn in CAD by authors, based on Kahn’s original drawings (Source:Louis I. Kahn Collection,
University of Pensylvania). (b) Main Floor Plan. Source: Drawn in CAD by authors, based on Kahn’s original drawings (Source:Louis I.
Kahn Collection, University of Pensylvania). (c) The process of generating forms. Source: Drawn in CAD by authors, based on Kahn’s
original drawings (Source:Louis I. Kahn Collection, University of Pensylvania). (d) Floor Plan e level 0. Source: Drawn in CAD by
authors, based on Kahn’s original drawings (Source:Louis I. Kahn Collection, University of Pensylvania). (e) Floor Plan e level 1.
Source: Drawn in CAD by authors, based on Kahn’s original drawings (Source:Louis I. Kahn Collection, University of Pensylvania). (f)
Floor Plan e level 2. Source: Drawn in CAD by authors, based on Kahn’s original drawings (Source:Louis I. Kahn Collection, Uni-
versity of Pensylvania). (g) Floor Plan e level 3. Source: Drawn in CAD by authors, based on Kahn’s original drawings (Source:Louis I.
Kahn Collection, University of Pensylvania). (h) Floor Plan e level 4. Source: Drawn in CAD by authors, based on Kahn’s original
drawings (Source:Louis I. Kahn Collection, University of Pensylvania). (i) Floor Plan e level 5. Source: Drawn in CAD by authors,
based on Kahn’s original drawings (Source:Louis I. Kahn Collection, University of Pensylvania). (j) Section ‘A-A’. Source: Drawn in
CAD by authors, based on Kahn’s original drawings (Source:Louis I. Kahn Collection, University of Pensylvania). (k) Elevation.
Source: Drawn in CAD by authors, based on Kahn’s original drawings (Source:Louis I. Kahn Collection, University of Pensylvania).

93
 B. Lutolli and K. Jashanica
Fig. 8
Some Bengali Buddhist monasteries, such as Mahas-
tangarh (3rd century B.C.), Paharpur (8th century A.D.),
and Maynamoti (8e12th century), are also compared to
the assembly building in terms of the geometric
arrangement (Choudhury, 2015), emphasized on the
monumentality of these Buddhist architectures and their
significant influence on Kahn’s design philosophy of the
assembly building. Significantly, the central cruciform
shape of the Paharpur monastery dictates Kahn’s inten-
tion of visualizing the monumentality of Bengali archi-
tecture (Fig. 6).
As it was stressed, Bangladesh National Assembly is
embodied by Bengali vernacular style and according to
Rashid and Ara (2015) this type of style provokes
(continued).
minimalism, modularity and adaptability which are essen-
tially modern concepts. In addition, Kahn drew attention to
this project based on his acquaintance with Bengali culture,
and reflected Bengali religious diversity when designing the
project and crossed the country, making sure he was
immersed in the Bengali building and cultural traditions
(Wiseman 2007). It also evokes various architectural styles,
such as Mughal building structures, the Roman Renaissance,
and appears to have converged as a palimpsest in one single
architectural event rather than as a synthesis (Ashraf,
1994).
Building discerns silently in its brick basement sur-
rounded by artificial lake sealing a new origin, in a meta-
physical sense and condensed in its being (Fig. 7).
94
 Frontiers of Architectural Research 11 (2022) 89e102

Fig. 8 (continued).

“This is architecture which restores something to those The physical configuration of voids is determined by
who have no heritage, who find in it an image their dignity, traversed axes, pierced inner walls, and volume juxtapo-
and who-for lack of anything better-see in it vision of a sition, allowing of volumes allow the space to fluctuate
different life”(Kahn, as cited in Diba, 1990, p. 11) while yet being but still to be contained in particular spaces
of the building just in order to find the moment of stasis to
Evidently, Kahn interprets the government, the mosque
assert its own character.
and the court in one universal social law circumscribed and
This occurs in the volumes allocated in four primary
blended in one building empathetically and poetically. As
orthogonal axes which end in subspaces with central orga-
Kahn stated “Architecture is the thoughtful making of
nization as well. The secondary radial axes that start from
spaces”, the visible solids are indeed the voids inside the
the main center are aligned with the rectangular volumes
building that generate a layering of spaces dissolved in
(Fig. 8aek).
sequential intervals through a dynamic interplay of light
The perimetric volumes that enclose the space in be-
and shadows. Despite the classical echoes, the spatial
tween assume their individuality through form and vertical
conception assumes a modernist twist.

95
 B. Lutolli and K. Jashanica
Fig. 8
layers, which are punctured with pure shapes, and so, to
maintain the visual tension between the entire composition
whole. This space in between is a ‘street’ that assumes the
communal sense in the universal order.
Thus, the phenomenal transparency in Kahn’s space is
evident but of course not completely entirely in modernist
terms as it does not have the degree of anonymity as a
characteristic of modernity, and stands between outer and
inner space, which are formally defined or concluded. As a
consequence of this concept, we witness a stratification of
space that stands between dynamic and static equilibrium,
and between modern and classical conception.
(continued).
Universally, Kahn’s philosophy included these spatial
configurations using different external lines, geometrical
shapes and the game of light and shadow on the exterior,
so that he can represent Bangladeshi culture and heri-
tage. A similar layout and view are also present in Kahn’s
other project in the library complex of Phillips Exeter
Academy (Fig. 9). According to (Deijkers et al., 2014), the
book zone of the library building is similar to the street of
the Assembly Building. Kahn used similar geometric
shapes for the academy’s library complex. The offices of
the outer layer are also consistent with the student
reading zone of the library complex. Therefore, the
96
 Frontiers of Architectural Research 11 (2022) 89e102
Fig. 8
learning of Phillips Exeter Academy Library in the USA
(1965e1971) was one of the significant contributors of
Kahn’s project for the National Assembly Building
(1963e1974). Moreover, using space (street) to make
room where people can interact with each other also
expresses Kahn’s inspiration from the courtyard of Salk
Institute for Biological Studies. A similar concept is pre-
sent on the upper floors of the National Assembly Build-
ing, where people can communicate with each other
(Fig. 10). Kahn’s architectural order is abstract even
though he explicitly approached every parameter of his
architecture in an empathic way.
(continued).
“Of course there are some spaces which should be
flexible, but there are also some which should be
completely inflexible. They should be just sheer
inspiration. just the place to be, the place which does
not change, except for the people who go in and out.”
(Kahn, as cited in Johnson, 1975, p. 27, p. 27)
5. Sculpting (through) the silence and light
Evidently, the work of Louis Kahn relies on the strength of
oppositions. His dichotomous architecture reaches the
97
 B. Lutolli and K. Jashanica

Fig. 8 (continued).

spiritual value methodically from mass and void to light and

shadow interplay. That’s why his architectural production
embraces both phenomenology and abstraction recogni-
tion. He designed with precision anticipating the route of
natural light and its reflection; hence he anticipated the
size and proportions of mass and void.
The Dhaka National Assembly is an excellent example of
perfection of how this approach is materialized. Firstly, the
reciprocity between the Silence in the inner spaces and the
building per se, generates a metaphysical state in its
presence on site and the dynamic sense coming from the
active superimposition and juxtaposition of surfaces as well
as declination of natural light through triangular, rectan-
gular and semi-circular openings. The light scenery is sub-
jected to continuous change. This transition of natural light
is ‘the domestication’ of what is transcendent and for him,
the buildings assists on controlling and measuring a tiny
amount of the immeasurable and contain for a while in

Fig. 9 Phillips Exeter Academy Library. Source: Wikimedia Fig. 10 Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Source: Flicker.
Commons. Creative Commons.

98
 Frontiers of Architectural Research 11 (2022) 89e102
defined space as an unprecedented scene and as a mani-
festation never to be repeated.
“So light, this great maker of presence can never
be.brought forth by the single moment in light which
the electric bulb has. And natural light has all the
moods of the time of the day, the seasons of the year,
(which) year for year and day for day are different from
the day preceding.” (Kahn, as cited in Johnson, 1975, p.
18, p. 18)
The quality of light is defined from layered spatial
configuration and material of construction that acquires it.
Due to the geometrical juxtaposition of forms, the space in
Fig. 11 (a) Upper floors of National Assembly building.
Source: Wikimedia Commons. (b) Section of middle ring.
Source: Louis I. Kahn. Light and Space by Urs Buttiker.
99
between, generates different scenarios of light and
shadow. As is to say, the light in the afternoon would cast
the polished punctured wall of ambulatory and the form of
projected light and shadow would reach its sublime unifi-
cation on the building structures (Fig. 11a and b).
The intention is that none of the spaces can exist
without natural light; even a crack of natural light is enough
to name a space and feel the presence. “I said that all
material in nature, the mountains and the streams and the
air and we, are made of Light which has been spent, and
this crumpled mass called material casts a shadow, and the
shadow belongs to Light. So Light is really the source of
being” (Kahn, as cited in Lobell, 1985, p. 22)
“A plan of a building should be read like a harmony of
spaces in light. Even a space intended to be dark should
have just enough light from some mysterious opening to
tell us how dark it really is. Each space must be defined
by its structure and the character of its natural light.”
(Kahn as cited in Pietrogrande et al., 2015, p. 82)
The light that penetrates the spaces of Dhaka buildings
are of different kinds. From morning to sunset; direct cast
or indirectly through intermediate layers of spaces, and
that is consequently of different intensities. “Every space
must have natural light, because it is impossible to read
the configurations of a space or shape by having only one or
two ways of lighting it. Natural light enters the space
released by the choice of construction.” e (Kahn, “Law and
Rule in Architecture” lecture, 1961)
The platform of the Assembly building and the passages
of access draw different scenarios of mass and void. Be-
sides, the analogy to Roman ruins of Caracalla Baths is
explicit in the choice of constructive elements at this level
Fig. 12 Passages. Source: Mosqpedia.org.
 B. Lutolli and K. Jashanica

Fig. 13 (a) Offices. Source: Wikimedia Commons. (b) Light openingss. Source: mosqpedia.org.

(Fig. 12). Hence, Kahn’s method to rethink the structure

from the past and make it for universal use, and modeling
through light, is evident as he provided those passages as
‘porticos’ with arched and trilithic construction. Obviously,
all of the drafted to bring the user into the experience of
sequences and rhythmic projections of light through
structure. “Structure is the giver of light” (Kahn, as cited
in Johnson, 1975, p. 21, p. 21)
Bangladesh is known for strong light and Kahn treated it
appropriately. Beyond its spiritual value, he employed it to
give the building the appartenenza or the sense of
belonging to a place, the sense of origin. As regards to the
monolithic presence, the building is composed of solids that
dissolve into the interior lightning wells;
“In the plan of the assembly I have introduced a light
giving element to the interior of the plan. Consider if
you see a series of columns you can say that the choice
of columns is a choice in light. The columns as solids
frame the spaces of light. Now think of it just in reverse
and think that the columns are hollow and much bigger
and their walls can themselves give light, then the voids
are rooms, and the column is the maker of light and can
take on complex shapes and be the supporter of spaces
and give light to spaces” (Kahn, 1963, p. 320, p. 320)
In progression, from the outer ring to the Assembly in
the center, the building is composed of three main layers/
zones in the radial placement where each is subject to
different spatial structure and lightning. First ring that
hosts the offices is composed of rectangular volumes which
are illuminated directly through the outer skin pierced with

Fig. 15 (a) Mosque, Dhaka. Source: mosqpedia.org. (b)

Mosque, section Dhaka. Source: Louis I. Kahn. Light and Space
Fig. 14 The entrance of the mosque. Source: Pxfuel. by Urs Buttiker.

100
 Frontiers of Architectural Research 11 (2022) 89e102
glassless openings of different shapes: triangles, semi-
circles, rectangles and vertical and horizontal splits. This
layer between the inner spaces of offices and outer infinite
space controls the intensity of light that enters and the
projection of shadows. Besides, it allows natural ventilation
(Fig. 13a and b). These spaces are placed in radial axis and
modulated in such a way so that they are not to be inter-
sected, but linked through bridges in order to allow light to
enter the space in between or the most communal area.
Moreover, the glassless openings from the outer skin are
always aligned to the communication area and stairs to
elevate the experience of vertical movement.
“A stair isn’t something you get out of catalogue but a
very important event in building” (Kahn, as cited in
Johnson, 1975, p. 18, p. 18)
The entry hall on the north and the mosque on the south
are likewise appended of the outer ring. The last has
defeated the orthogonal axis in a certain angle and is
hinged through the circle to the rest. The rectangular vol-
umes with cylindrical corners that serve as lightning wells
are pierced with circular glazed openings in upper and
lower corners and receive light through cylinders (Fig. 14).
The intensity of light that enters the room is strong
particularly in the zenith position of the sun. Thus, the
brightness again is controlled through semi-circular ele-
ments where the light first casts and then to be distributed
through the hall. Here the lightning and spatial qualities are
consecrated (Fig. 15a and b)
The second layer or the space in between (outer layer
and the central assembly) often considered as a street, is
Fig. 16 The view from the Ambulatory, Dakka/. Source:
Wikimedia Commons.
101
the void ring filled with different spatial and lightning se-
quences directly and indirectly, from the ceiling or from the
detachments of juxtaposed volumes. The natural light was
permeated into atmospheric layers of dense characters
belonging to different functions and yet reaching that
communal sense.
The spaces are illuminated through the ribbed ceiling, the
vertical fissures and the highest opening is above the entrance
to the mosque. Is like an invitation to enlightenment (Fig. 16).
The center or the Assembly with its octagonal shape recalls a
point of stasis, a center. The light reaches its monumental
presence in the chamber through the openings from the ceiling
with tent-like semi-circular openings. The light rhythmically
scans the space and certain projected intervals as the sun
moves during the day. The infinity that enters the room,
transcends its mere function and instructs the dignity of
communal-social order (Fig. 17a and b).
Apparently, the quality and intensity of natural light to
some extent is controlled through employed material-
concrete, which allows sharp reflection and homogenous
dispersion depending on how it is molded by structure.
While in the level of passages to the platform, local bricks
tend to absorb it more than reflected. And this level acts as
a base but still maintains its earthy ruin-like sense,
opposed/amplified by water. Lastly, this convocation of
concrete, brick and water in one unified ‘compound’
assembled through light incites a definition of new “genius
loci” for Bengali culture.
Fig. 17 (a) Interior view of Parliament house. Source: Wiki-
media Commons. (b) Section of Chamber Hall. Source: Louis I.
Kahn. Light and Space by Urs Buttiker.
 B. Lutolli and K. Jashanica
6. Conclusion
This paper attempted to bring into the light a new concept
of understanding of Kahn’s work. This understanding aimed
to be found from Kahn’s own words about the light. Light,
as a major dominating parameter of Kahn’s architecture is
obtained in between poetry and practical components of
his building design. Kahn’s approach to architecture in
general, and in Dhaka in particular, reveals that light and
shadow, as two important parameters to his architecture,
are treated as building materials. Ultimately, Kahn’s work
stands on the threshold as regards to his careful reference
to the past and future without falling into something uto-
pian and neither eclectic. Undoubtedly, Dhaka stands as a
magnum opus of his idea of architecture and an exemplary
manifestation of the twentieth century and a historical
landscape of Bangladesh with one of the most famous
Kahn’s designs, Dhaka National Assembly Building. But
above all, an opus to the prevalence of light as an element
which is universal and still unique for the context and can
be articulated accurately to originate the architecture of
the place. This research also welcomes future researchers
to come across in-depth architectural reviews about Kahn’s
philosophy that still reaches ‘unmeasurable’ in the current
study. Such investigations may include new influential
variable architectural dictionaries.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing
financial interests or personal relationships that could have
appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
102
References
Ashraf, K.K., 1994. National Capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, 1962-83.
Global Architecture. Edita Tokyo.
Brownlee, D., Long, D.G., 1991. In the Realm of Architecture. The
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
Ching, F., Jarzombek, M., Prakash, V., 2017. A Global History of
Architecture, Second. Wiley & Sons, New Jersey.
Choisy, A., 1899. Hisotrie de Architecture. Gauthier-Villars.
Choudhury, B.I., 2015. The Genesis of Jatio Sangsad Bhaban at
Sher-E- Bangla Nagar. Dhaka. https://core.ac.uk/download/
pdf/41240768.pdf.
Curtis, W., 1982. Modern Architecture since 1900. Phaidon Press
Limited.
Deijkers, M., Herwijnen, M. van, Prudon, G., 2014. Louis I. Kahn &
His Inspiration.
Diba, D., 1990. Return to Dacca, , Nr. 26711. L architecture
daujourdhui.
Johnson, E.N., 1975. Light Is the Theme. Louis I. Kahn and the
Kimbell Art Museum. Kimbell Art Foundation, Texas.
Kahn, N.P., 1963. Cited in the Development of Dacca “Remarks”
Quoted in in the Realm of Architecture.
Kahn, 2003. Film: My Architect. November 12, 2003. Producers:
Nathaniel Kahn, Susan Rose Behr.
Lobell, J., 1985. Between Silence and Light. Shambhala Publica-
tions INC.
Pietrogrande, E., Rabacchin, A., Dalla, C., Alessandro, Lu, J., 2015.
Notes on the architecture of Louis I. Kahn. DBS.
Rashid, M., Ara, D.R., 2015. Modernity in tradition: reflections on
building design and technology in the Asian vernacular. Front.
Archit. Res. 4 (1), 46e55.
Scully, V., 1993. Louis I. Kahn and the Ruins of Rome. Engineering &
Science/Winter 1993. MoMA, Museum of Modern Art.
Wiseman, C., 2007. Louis I. Kahn: beyond Time and Style. W. W.
Norton & Company, London.