Louis Kahn

Louis Kahn was an American architect most famous for his monumental and monolithic style, considered one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. Kahn’s work was meticulous, but he didn’t arrive at his distinctive architectural style until he was in his 50s.

Heavily influenced by his time as an Architect in Residence at the American Academy in Rome, he eventually adopted a back-to-the-basics approach.

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. Photo by Lauri Kymäläinen Own work, Public Domain,

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Undertaking notable works in America and beyond, Khan’s works range from social housing to galleries, libraries and campuses. His critically acclaimed Kimbell Art Museum was hailed as “the greatest American building of the second half of the 20th Century”.

Praised for his signature use of light, Khan is quoted as saying:

A room is not a room without natural light.

Khan’s most significant work is the Jatiya Sangsad complex: a series of buildings and plazas commissioned to house the National Assembly of Bangladesh. It’s signature Bhaban (main) building, consisting of 9 blocks, interlinked vertically and horizontally by corridors.

Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban, Dhaka; considered as Kahn’s magnum opus. Photo By © Nahid Sultan & Saiful Aopu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0,

Kahn died of a heart attack a year before IIM-A was finished. Although he didn’t get to see the building in its complete form, a number of his proposals remain unbuilt to this day.