The gift from Louis Khan
Louis Khan (1901-74), an American architect, is one of the great masters of modern architecture. At the Kimbell Art Museum in Texas Fort Worth, he left a novel and spiritual space that beautifully incorporated natural light.
Kimbell Museum, Fort Worth Texas US. Photo in December 2003
The closed exterior gives the impression of a factory-like monotonous building, but the interior has a rich and human space system so called “Repetition of Rooms” where “miracle light” comes into from ceiling.
Khan became drastically busy in his 50s and flew around the world for projects not only in the United States but also in India, East Pakistan (currently Bangladesh) and Israel. On the way back from his trip from India, he died at the age of 73 due to a heart attack in a public toilet at Pen Station in New York. Khan left two buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Shaheed Suhrawaldy Hospital
Formerly Ayub National Hospital
“Hey brick, what do you want to be?” “I want to be an arch.”
Huge and charming brick arch face (facade). Photo in March 2019
Originally opened as Ayub National Hospital in the era of East Pakistan, it became the university hospital under the Bangladesh government after independence and is currently used as the central building of the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical Campus. Because it is not a private high-class hospital but a public university institution that accepts various patients as charity hospital, there always are full of people. The huge arcade of brick arches controlling strong sunlight opens to the front entrance plaza and gives a sense of urban scale like a station. This double layered arcade has ample depth and makes generous connection between inside and outside. This substantial space allows many people gathering freely. Although not certain that Khan prepared this large space estimating to accommodate this much of future crowds, I am convinced that Khan designed this entrance arcade as large foyer for huge hospital. Certainly this is the brilliant success as an urban public space bridging the building and surrounding city.
Hustle and Bustle Arcade of Hospital Entrance maintains urban scale dimension, 52 feet (approx. 16 m) width, 30 feet (approx. 9 m) height. Photo in March 2019
The arch is constructed purely of brick and its 2 feet (approx. 60cm) thickness brick wall supports the floor of waffle slab. Although pure and powerful structural expression, it is difficult to realize in the current structure system. Khan designed many brick buildings in US in his early career, he did not hesitate to make a square window into brick wall using lintel, but in that case usually hide the lintel with veneer bricks. Gradually he is getting fond of more NATURAL opening expression for brick, or arch. Particularly, in order to achieve this big span of 43 feet (approx. 13 m) in the arch structure, braced horizontally by post-tension precast concrete ultra-thin beam or lintel of 24 inches (approx. 60 cm) width and 18 inches (approx. 45 cm) height at the middle of circular opening. This structural system is also applied at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. Although my first impression in the picture was “a kind of bizarre face”, after I repeatedly see this face many times and actually experience the arches, I came to like of the facade as charming and memorable face. I would assume that the proliferation of American building design systems by Khan brought the system of foot-inch in Bangladesh. Our local architect does not know about the history. Currently building industry in Bangladesh is shifting to metric system, but because the tradition of construction is strongly originated from brick dimension, it is not so easy to erase the foot-inch dimension.
The afternoon sun light comes from the west facing arch. They made a planter in front of the arch….. Photo in March 2019
Bangladesh Parliament
The last building is the Parliament Building, used in the design of Bangladesh paper money. Construction began in 1961 during the era of East Pakistan, suspended during the Bangladesh Revolutionary War and finally finished in 1982 over nearly 20 years. The main reason of taking such long period is political, that is, the construction has been conducted fairly unstable period during the transition between two countries. The other reason is in Khan’s design or its uncompromising quality and the last reason is economical, that is, Bangladesh was in the situation called “the poorest country in the world” at that time. The building was constructed almost by hand without using heavy machinery such as concrete mixer truck. Looking carefully the detail, the joints and silhouette are slightly crude or not too well-ordered expressing human character or “wild” taste.
Viewing from the close point, the cluster of cylindrical volumes gives a mechanical and a bit creepy impression. Viewing from the distant point, you can read the proportions of the Islamic palace like the lotus flower floating in the water. Photo in May 2019
Anticipated that we could quickly visit the building as long as made a request, however it took more time to accept the request. It is mandatory to submit several documents to undergo examination to get the approval. During the 3rd trip, we could finally get the chance to visit the parliament. We saw around most of the highlights, including main assembly hall or the highest security zone. When entering into the inside, I felt initially dim but as my eyes got used to it, I was gradually sensing beautiful sun light. This is exactly the same experience at Kimbell. The main cylinder volume of assembly hall is placed on the center and the ancillary volumes of square and circular of library, reference room and waiting room surrounds around. The plan looks like a mandala. Around the center assembly hall, circular foyer or interior street encircles. This gallery where you can freely walk around forms very high ceiling like canyon enclosed by buildings. The space is so called “Externalized Interior”, the ambivalent space of inside and outside. Difficult to expect from this simple plan, the interior holds complex space system like labyrinth. Actually you will lose the sense of direction if you walk this interior street. Unfortunately I cannot share photo inside because prohibited to take any interior pictures, the shell ceiling of main assembly hall is amazing. Although this is the Parliament of Bangladesh, at the main entrance hall there is a special room for American architect Louis Khan, where his drawings and portraits are proudly exhibited. That tells how Bangladeshi respect and love Luis Khan. Khan passed away without seeing this great space.
The architect, fascinated by ancient Roman ruins, designed consistently the archaic architecture with strong conviction regardless being ridiculed as anachronistic. When being in front of these two buildings standing at around for a half century, I was overwhelmed by the “power” of architecture that will survive until actually RUINED away, already engendering a presence of RUIN. The soul of Khan who consistently designed with his strong passion and philosophy oftenly not listening clients even though almost bankrupting, the spirits of the disciples who persistently inherit Khan’s will and the bloods and sweats of myriad workers who actually built these two buildings still dwell in the land of Dhaka.
Hiroyuki Niino
