Editing Louis Kahn (section)

== Major Works ==

Kahn's major works, most completed in his final fifteen years, established his international reputation. The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California (1965), created a community for scientific research through paired laboratory buildings framing a travertine plaza open to the Pacific Ocean. The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas (1972), achieved galleries of subtle luminosity through cycloid vaults that bring controlled natural light to art display. The National Assembly Building of Bangladesh in Dhaka (completed posthumously, 1983) created monumental civic architecture for a new nation, its geometric forms expressing democratic assembly through universal architectural language.<ref name="wiseman"/>

These buildings shared characteristics that defined Kahn's mature approach: monumentality achieved through geometric clarity and material weight; light as defining element of spatial experience; separation of served and servant functions made visible in architectural form; and dialogue with ancient precedents that informed modern design without nostalgic copying. Each building responded to specific program and place while demonstrating consistent principles that constitute Kahn's contribution to architectural thought.<ref name="brownlee"/>