Eminent architect and urban planner Muzharul Islam was sent abroad on Thursday for better treatment as his physical condition was critical due to old-age complications.

Muzharul, now 89, was admitted to Bangkok Hospital, Thailand, his daughter Dalia Nausheen said, adding that he had been under treatment for about last 50 days in a city hospital.

Muzharul is considered the "Grand Master" of regional modernism in South Asian architecture. His style and influence dominated the architectural scene in Bangladesh in the 1960s and 1970s.

Muzharul Islam started his career by designing two buildings in 1955--the Dhaka University Central Library and the Institute of Arts and Crafts (Art Institute Dhaka).

For his contribution, Muzharul Islam received a number of awards including Master Jury of the First Aga Khan Award for Architecture in Geneva in 1980.