Mazharul Islam, regarded as the pioneer of modern architecture in Bangladesh, died at 12.06 am today at United Hospital in the city at the age of 89.
The master architect had been ailing for months, family sources have said.
He survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
Islam was born on December 25, 1923, in Murshidabad, now in West Bengal.
Mazharul Islam's style and influence dominated Bangladesh's architectural scene in the 1960s and 1970s, along with those of major US architects, such as Louis I. Kahn, known for his contributions to the making of what was then known as the Second Capital of Pakistan in Dhaka. Islam worked closely with Kahn, who was his teacher, from 1965 until Kahn's death in 1973.
Islam's major works include Jahangirnagar University, Chittagong University, Central Public Library, Charukala Institute, Azimpur Estate, Joypurhat Housing, Rangamati township and a number of Polytechnic Institutes. He designed the master plan of Dhaka City and also created the logo for the government of Bangladesh.
Mazharul Islam received his Bachelor of Science from Calcutta University in 1942, Bachelor of Engineering from Calcutta in 1946, Bachelor of Architecture from University of Oregon, USA, in 1952, post Graduate Certificate in Tropical Architecture from A.A. School of Architecture in London in 1957. In 1961 he received his post-graduation in Architecture from Yale University, USA.
He was senior architect of the government of East Pakistan in 1958-64.
