Architecture and Nation-Building in Post-Independent Burma: The Case Study of the Tripitaka Library

Abstract

The Tripitaka Library in Yangon, Myanmar (then Burma), designed by the American architect Benjamin Polk and commissioned during the early modernisation period of independent Burma in 1954 under Prime Minister U Nu, represents an understudied example of post independence architecture in Myanmar. This study demonstrates how the building reflects the relationship between global architectural modernism and local Burmese Buddhist symbolic traditions during the early period of nation-building in independent Burma. The research investigates archival materials, government records, and regional architectural scholarship to analyse the commissioning history and architectural design strategies. The study finds that modern spatial planning and reinforced concrete construction incorporated elements of Buddhist cosmology. The paper argues that the Tripitaka Library illustrates how architectural modernisation in post-colonial Southeast Asia was conceptualised and designed to express religious meaning, national identity, and political ambitions, contributing to broader discussions on architectural modernism and cultural construction while also reviving knowledge of early modernisation in Myanmar.