On a writ petition filed by the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) and the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, the High Court not only declared "illegal the under-construction residences of the speaker and deputy speaker in the parliament complex, as the government distorted the original design of architect Louis I Kahn's 1973 masterpiece" but also "asked the government to take steps to announce the parliament building as part of national heritage". (DS 22 June)

The HC bench of Justice Mohammad Iman Ali and Justice Shamim Hasnine went on to describe the construction works of the new buildings as an "arrogant attitude of this government".

This is something that does not happen everyday, although rampant violation of building rules, wholesale apathy towards objects of our national history, heritage and honourff, and wanton greed for open land is the rule in our society.

The High Court judgement will in future hopefully stand in the way of any egotistical attitude of public representatives and officers who seldom stop to realise that what they spoil today they suffer tomorrow.

A building that one makes today by violating government rules and common sense can only be enjoyed for the few months or years one holds office; the open space that he preserves is for him to enjoy all his life.

Tourists from around the world marvel at the colossal building that rests on a moat, the precursor of Kahn's water architecture that was never to be. Scholars from Tokyo to Tangiers, Latvia to Laos, travel to this low-lying flood-prone area, as Kahn saw it, to marvel at our parliament building. What should naturally have been transformed into a site of national heritage to beckon the world, on the contrary Kahn's capitol has been the victim of neglect and ruthless bureaucracy over the years.

Today we present some selected views on the building from architects and authors of different countries in a bid to disseminate to all concerned why Kahn's Sangsad Bhaban needs to be conserved in its entirety. Declaring it as national heritage shall be a step in the right direction.

The building has aged and it is not without its problems. Marble slats are parting with the massive walls, the main session chamber has acoustic problems, it is easy to be disoriented inside the building, running costs are high, and upkeep has always been a headache. Yet it is the final stroke of brilliance from a Master Architect of the world.

The world has not seen an architect as philosophical as Kahn, as masterly in fusing two styles to evolve a third that few have yet been able to comprehend, to handle few have dared without ending in humiliation.

The author is Consultant to the Editor on Urban Issues and Professor, Dept of Architecture, BUET