Art and Architecture VI

Lecture 14
Post-colonial Architecture in Bangladesh
• The art and architectural style of Bengal has been rich and magnificent long before the British
came to rule. It is evident from the ruins of various archaeological sites of Bengal that the art of
building has been a long running practice here, since the earliest times of the region's history.

• The ruins of Mahasthangarh, for instance, is proof that even during the ancient period, the
builders were already working with highly developed techniques in making and use of bricks. In
Somapura Mahavihara, deemed the largest Buddhist monastery in the Indian subcontinent, the
orientation and proportions of the structure show the extreme sensitivity of the builders when it
came to architectural techniques. Architecture, sculpture, terracotta and painting developed
extensively during the Pala Dynasty rule from 8th to 12th century. In the Sultanate Period,
Bengal had already developed a distinctive language, culture and architecture.

• With the advent of the Mughals, political centralization took place. For the region's
architecture style, this meant that ideas and ideals were being enforced by the Governor of
Bengal from Delhi. For the first time, the architectural tradition of the region was broken, which
further continued with the rule of the British.

• The next pivotal point came with the arrival of the Europeans. The Portuguese were the first to
arrive in India for commerce and as missionaries. A century later, the Portuguese were followed
by the Dutch, the British and the French. The Danes, the Armenians, the Greeks and the
Germans also set up settlements in the region. However, colonial architecture became almost
synonymous with that introduced by the British, since they occupied the largest territory.

• By definition, colonial architecture is the architectural style borrowed from a country of

origin and then integrated into the structures located in far off regions. This particular
architecture style evolved when colonists created a fusion by blending the architectural
vocabulary of their country of origin with the design principles of the region they colonized….
Since the British considered themselves to be the successors of the Mughals, they decided to
use architecture as a symbol of power.

Reference: British Colonial Architecture in Bengal, The Daily Star. Farhat Afzal
Post-colonial Architecture in Bangladesh
• The colonial architecture style, thus, aimed to represent awe and power of
the British Imperial rule in India. In order to be seen as powerful by the
commoners, the colonists realized they must come up with a hybrid design
style that the general public were already familiar with.

• In the late 19th century, Indian British architects developed an architecture

style that was a synthesis of Indo-Islamic and Indian architecture with
borrowed elements of Gothic revival and Neo-Classical styles that were
still in favour in Victorian Britain. Thus began the architecture movement
known as Indo-Sarcenic Revival architecture—Sarcenic being a
medieval Latin term for "Muslim".

• At this time, the region which is present-day Bangladesh remained largely

overlooked by the colonists, because of its lack of urbanisation and
industrialisation. However, despite all this, a number of remarkable
structures were built by the British, which remain notable today because of
their architectural and historical significance. …For Example -Carzon Hall,
with its borrowed elements from Diwani-Khas at Fatehpur Sikri, built by
Emperor Akbar, …and North-brooke Hall, Dhaka Medical College and
Salimullah Muslim Hall.

Reference: British Colonial Architecture in Bengal, The Daily Star. Farhat Afzal
Victoria Memorial, 1906-1921, Built to display the might and culture of British Empire
“indo-Saracenic Architecture” for the Indian Muslim people, e.g. Curzon Hall directly modeled after Fatehpur Sikri
Post-colonial Architecture in Bangladesh
• …The colonial architecture era was able to successfully come up with a distinct
architecture style,..the "bungalow", a remodelling of the deltaic hut. The
bungalow exemplified the notion of living in nature inside a secluded hut
covered by a roof, while being able to look at a distant horizon. Soon enough,
the bungalow became a popular building style in the subcontinent and then
afterwards, in other parts of the world.

• Ever since the Mughal dynasty, this region has struggled with keeping
its tradition and culture alive in their building style. With the introduction of
colonial architecture, it was even harder to keep our roots intact. Architecture
is supposed to give identity to a region. However, for Bangladesh, because of
its complicated history, that has not been the case. Lack of historical
materials makes the narration of the region's history difficult as well.
.

Reference: British Colonial Architecture in Bengal, The Daily Star. Farhat Afzal
The Bengali Hut is hunble with it’s extended roofs and verandahs it is thermally comfortable and socially contextual
British Bungalow in India
American Bungalow
Beginnings of Modernism in Bangladesh
• …The period between 1947- 1971 can be seen to be the period in which the
nation, emerging form the shackles of a 200-year old colonial domination,
takes on the task of nation-building. Just after the partition of British India,
inventiveness and originality in design was shunned in the architecture of the
eastern part of Pakistan. (Hasan, 1968: 92) This was generally because of the
absence of professional education of architects and the deliberate reluctance
of the British Colonial rulers to hinder development. (Wares, 1984: 71)
However, in the later phase, with the rise of Bengali nationalism concurrence
with the direct presence of Western Architects for local projects as well as
formal training of architects in the University resulted into a new phase of
marchitecture expressing the Bengali nationalism of brick architecture in
modern style.

• The first technical university was established in Dhaka in 1962 where

architecture was being taught to local students. Although not yet formally
recognized by the Government, architecture has firmly established itself as a
profession. (Hasan, 1968: 92) Drives were present among the Bengali
architects to reflect the emergent national spirit. This was expressed in the
struggle to imprint buildings in the International Style with the marks of a
newfound national and regional identity. This trend was started by the
influenced of foreign architects like Louis I. Kahn, Paul Rudolph, Stanley
Tigermann, Constantine Doxiadis and Richard Neutra, who worked in this
land being employed by the Government with the initiative of leading Bengali
Architect Muzharul Islam. Also Muzharul Islam himself was professionally
trained and worked for the Government of East Pakistan using a modern
vocabulary.
Reference: Architecture during Pakistan Period (Post-colonial period) in Bangladesh since 1947 to
1971, Dr. Farida Nilufar
Beginnings of Modernism in Bangladesh
• As there was no formal training for architects during colonial period, during the
early stages of Pakistan regime the building construction was in the domain of the
surveyors and engineers. (Hasan, 1968: 92) Draftsmen trained in Bombay J.J.
School of Art and other institutes of Calcutta were engaged in design and
drawing. The state emerges as the main client during this period, and the
architectural professions is represented, ironically, by the import of the services of
foreign architects and also some non-architects from West Pakistan and West, and
the development of the Public Works Department as the main builders of the new
nation. (Banglapedia,2003:.274)

• …The setting up of the first architecture faculty at the East Pakistan University
of Engineering and Technology (EPUET) in 1961 was a significant event. The
Faculty of Architecture was started in the Ahsan Ullah Engineering College and
the college was upgraded to university. The curriculum of Architectural education
in East Pakistan was developed under the guidance and assistance of the Texas A &
M University and led by Prof. Richard Vrooman. Prof. Vrooman started the
Architecture department with six local students in 1961. Influence of western
education and prevailing architectural style shaped their education.

• British architects were still getting most of the large scale important projects – some,
working in a form of tropical modernism- were exceptionally sensitive to the
regional context. Among them, Robert Bouighy maintained a consistency in
architectural vocabulary, technical excellence, and aesthetics in his creation.
Concrete frame structures and its honest expression through ribbon windows,
non-loads bearing partition walls and cantilevered verandas are some
examples that characterized Bouighy’s design. An inter-marriage of spatial and
structural innovation culminated in his outstanding designs of the BUET
Gymnasium building and Kamalapur Railway Station (1961- 63).
Reference: Architecture during Pakistan Period (Post-colonial period) in Bangladesh since 1947 to
1971, Dr. Farida Nilufar
Beginnings of Modernism in Bangladesh
• During the later part of this period, the country had to face growing Bengali
nationalism, which also sought architectural expression. …in satisfying the
compelling need for a vocabulary of local architecture to express the national
identity, International Style expressed in brick thus emerged as a ‘Bengali
style’ of Architecture. (Azim, 1991: 18) This phenomenon could perhaps be
noted for the first time in the design of Art College and Public Library building
(1955) by the pioneer Bengali architect Muzharul Islam who had just
graduated from Oregon University of USA. This style was culminated in the design
of the National Assembly Building at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar by Louis I. Kahn (1962-
80s).

• The Art College building is one example of institutional architecture where the
architect succeeded in creating a pleasant atmosphere conducive to the
educational process. The influence of the modern day Master Architect Le
Corbusier is clearly visible in the design of both these complexes in cubic form,
open ground plan, free columns, non-load bearing partition walls, concrete
structures, flat roofs, ramps and sun-breakers. Composition of the various
parts of the complex, light structures, their structural clarity, and integrated
landscapes make this building the first examples of modern architecture in
Bangladesh.

Reference: Architecture during Pakistan Period (Post-colonial period) in Bangladesh since 1947 to
1971, Dr. Farida Nilufar
Beginnings of Modernism in Bangladesh
• In 1964 Muzharul Islam formed Vastukalabid, the first local consulting firm. Soon
it became a formidable presence in the architectural scene in Bangladesh by
designing several noteworthy buildings in the next half a decade. Among these
were two new Universities at Chittagong and Jahangirnagar, NIPA Building
[now part of the Business Studies Faculty of Dhaka University] (1964-67), Krisi
Bhavan at Motijheel (1965), five Polytechnic Institutes in five district towns
(with American Architect Stanley Tigermann), etc;

• Mazharul Islam believed that for a movement in architecture to be appropriate

for Bangladesh it should have as model, examples of architectural relations of
world-renowned architects, which could provide inspiration and confidence to the
local architects. Accordingly, he contributed actively to bringing such famous
architects to work in Bangladesh as Louis I. Kahn, Paul Rudolph, and Stanley
Tigermann. Also, other famous architects like Constantine Doxiadis and Richard
Neutra worked with him before 1971. Their involvement and contribution towards the
development and orientation of architecture in Bangladesh was one bright side of the
1960s.

Reference: Architecture during Pakistan Period (Post-colonial period) in Bangladesh since 1947 to NIPA Bhaban, Dhaka University, Before the raw concrete was
1971, Dr. Farida Nilufar plastered, 1971
Chittagong and Jahangirnagar University
• In Chittagong and in Jahangirnagar, Islam designed a vast sprawling masterplan
with a rigorously disciplined layout with angular geometry. In Chittagong, to
avoid complications in building on a earthen sloping site, The buildings were all
placed in the valleys or at the foot of the hills. The buildings in both Universities
display an attention to detail in its brickwork and disciplined geometry reminiscent
of Kahn’s later works – particularly in Exeter library; while Corbusian detailing is
also prominent.

• Kazi Khaleed Ashraf describes the Jahangir Nagar University master plan as in the
following:
- “The site plan, which sought to retain the natural condition of the site as much as
possible, places administrative and teaching buildings in the center, with student
dormitories located at one end and faculty and staff residence at the other. The tilted
square motif emerged out of the dual considerations of using the building volumes
to create spatial enclosures, and of giving each building the same degree of sun
exposure and natural ventilation. The plan also acknowledged that the campus
would be built gradually. A large part of Islam’s original plan remains unrealized.

• The plans for both Jahangirnagar University and Joypurhat Housing reflect Islam’s
effort to propose an alternative city, to move away from the conventional
morphology of city and country. This form of masterplanning however, places
buildings across vast distances – probably influenced by Corbusian planning
concepts. This creates a feeling of disconnectedness in the campus – and makes it
difficult to walk between residential, academic and administrative zones. The
massive buildings themselves are difficult to traverse. And it is regrettable that most
of these buildings are in terrible condition due to an extreme lack of maintenance.

Referencehttp://www.muzharulislam.com
Jahangirnagar University
Plans show a strict hierarchy of spaces, but in reality not fully realized. Due the vast distance between buildings have a disconnectedness. Style of architecture is also very
disciplined and has influences of Louis Kahn
Modernism in Bangladesh by Foreign Architects
• Doxiadis’s projects, like Comilla BARD, College of Home Economics, IER
and TSC of Dhaka University, express climatic adaptability and functional
versatility in the design of groups of buildings of multiple functions in the same
campus, and stress their inter-relationships. The design of the Polytechnic
Institutes show sensitivity to local building materials, and are distinguished for
the use of a consistent generic vocabulary.

• Paul Rudolph was commissioned in 1966 to prepare a master plan and

design some important buildings of the Agriculture University in
Mymensingh. He designed the academic blocks, staff quarters and the
students’ hostel, while Richard Neutra designed the Library building. These
projects integrated western formality in a sublime way in architecture and the
needs and the contexts of the local setting.

• The Parliament was to be transferred to East Pakistan and the area named
‘Ayubnagar’ [now renamed as Sher-E-Bangla Nagar] was designed as the
second capital. Its commission was given to Louis I. Kahn in 1964 after
unsuccessful efforts to engage Master Architects such as Le Corbusier and
Alvar Aalto. Louis Kahn’s assembly Building is the most discussed
architectural edifice of the country. As a building it has had a tremendous
influence on the theory and practice of architecture in Bangladesh.

Reference: Architecture during Pakistan Period (Post-colonial period) in Bangladesh since 1947 to
1971, Dr. Farida Nilufar
Mymensingh Agriculturaal University, Paul Rudolph, 1966
Contemporaries of Mazharul Islam
• An “avant-garde” architectural study group named Chetona (meaning
awareness) sought to introduce critical thinking as an essential part of
architectural practice. Many architects, senior and junior— disillusioned with
the prevalent role of architecture as primarily a professional practice without
broader social visions and engagement with history and culture—gravitated
toward Chetona, meeting at Muzharul Islam’s architectural office,
Bastukalabid, at Poribagh.

• The iconoclasm of the study group evolved around reading critical writings
in architecture, criticism of current methods of architectural pedagogy,
and reasoned questioning of architecture as a technical discipline. The
group's reading list ranged from Rabindranath Tagore to the Franco Swiss
architect Le Corbusier to the Norwegian architectural theorist Christian
Norberg-Schulz.

• Among them, Bashirul Haq, Saiful Haq, Nahas Ahmed Khalil are the most
well known.

Reference: Does architecture define a "new“ Bangladesh? By Adnan Morshed

Chhayanat, Bashirul Haq
Architect’s Own Residence and Studio, Bashirul Haq
Bhatshala, Architect’s Own Vacation House, Bashirul Haq
BCIC Bhaban, Bashirul Haque, Influence of Corbusier is immediately apparent
Cyclone Shelter, Bashirul Haq
Short-listed for Aga Khan Award, Traditional Details done in Concrete, Similar to works of Doshi, While Corbusier’s Beton Brut is here as well
Chhayanat, Bashirul Haq: Traditional wooden detail replicated in concrete
Govinda Gunalanker Hostel at Chittagong ,1999, Saiful Haque
Camp House for an Archaeological Team at Bogra ,1996, Saiful Haque
Muhammed Aziz Khan Residence, 1994, Nahas Ahmed Khalil
Muhammed Aziz Khan Residence, 1994, Nahas Ahmed Khalil
OSBAN House, 2006, Nahas Ahmed Khalil
OSBAN House, 2006, Nahas Ahmed Khalil
Friendship Centre. Gaibandha, 2011, Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury/Urbana, Recipient of Aga Khan Award Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Bait Ur Rouf Mosque, Dhaka, 2012, Marina Tabassum, Recipient of Aga Khan Award Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Bait Ur Rouf Mosque, Dhaka, 2012, Marina Tabassum, Recipient of Aga Khan Award Aga Khan Award for Architecture