Muzharul Islam | |
---|---|
Born |
Murshidabad, British Raj |
25 December 1923
Died | 15 July 2012 Dhaka, Bangladesh |
(aged 88)
Nationality | Bangladeshi |
Alma mater |
University of Oregon Yale University AA School of Architecture |
Occupation | Architect educator |
Parent(s) | Professor Omdatul Islam Mrs.Zakia Khatoon |
Awards | Grand Master Award, South Asian Architecture Award Ceremony Independence Day Award |
Buildings |
Faculty of Fine Arts Jahangirnagar University Master Plan and designs Chittagong University master plan and designs Bangladesh National Archive |
Muzharul Islam (Bengali: মাজহারুল ইসলাম; 25 December 1923 – 15 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi architect, urban planner, educator and activist. He is considered as the Grand Master of regional modernism in South Asia. Islam is the pioneer of modern architecture in Bangladesh and the father of Bengali modernism. Islam's style and influence dominated the architectural scene in the country during the 1960s and 70s, along with major US architects he brought to work in Dhaka.
As a teacher, architect, social and political activist, Islam set the course of architectural practice in the country not only through his own many varied works but also through being instrumental in inviting architects like Louis Kahn, Richard Neutra, Stanley Tigerman, Paul Rudolph, Robert Boughey and Konstantinos Doxiadis to work in Bangladesh.
Muzharul Islam was born on 25 December 1923 in Murshidabad. He went to the United States in 1950 where he received his bachelor's degree in Architecture from University of Oregon. In 1956, he received a scholarship to study tropical architecture at the AA School of Architecture, London. In 1961, he completed his post-graduation under Paul Rudolph from Yale University. At Yale Stanley Tigerman was one of his classmates, and there he came in touch of Louis I Kahn. Muzharul Islam began his career by designing two buildings in the Shahbag area in 1955 – Dhaka University Library and College of Arts and Crafts. Between 1958 and 1964, Islam was the Senior Architect of the Government of East Pakistan.