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.