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29 December 2020 |
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To Mr Errol D’Souza |
SUB: Idea & EOI for Proposed Demolition Works of the Dormitory Buildings of the Louis Kahn Designed Campus- our Very strong objections to the same as INTACH
Dear Sir
As regards the above matter; & all the information that has come out in the Media/ Newspapers & that which is being circulated on Social Media; as Co Convener of INTACH Gujarat we would like to clearly reiterate that you need to Review the direction being taken by IIMA as an institution on the above matter regarding the Demolition of the Louis Kahn Dormitory Blocks on the IIMA Campus.
INTACH- Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage very decisively opposes such moves- since the IIMA Campus & its integrated Architecture & Assemblage- is Deemed Grade 1 Heritage. Please note that UNESCO – in its List of inscriptions – has inscribed several Modern Architecture Landmarks as World Heritage Sites/ So Heritage is not a notion & Idea confined to Historic Buildings only.
Louis Kahns Work at the IIM Campus at Ahmedabad is clearly in the Grade 1 Category- hence these Buildings have to be protected in their entirety
Various bodies/ persons & Institutions have raised grave concerns; & rightfully so – on the basis of the Actions initiated by the IIMA – Administration & your good self as the Director.
Very Strong Voices have already been raised by the Kahn Family members & Children based in the United States which clearly imply on the gravity of the situation & the questionable process of decision making underway at the IIM on this matter.
Ahmedabad were extremely fortunate in the early 60’s to be able to rope in a Global Legend to design the Campus- with a Global Architectural Vision which Louis Kahn has bestowed onto this unique Institution- the first of its kind in the Country. ICOMOS too has raised the very issue of ensuring Protection of these unique priceless Assets yesterday.
This work of Kahn along with Le Corbusier’s works at Chandigarh & Ahmedabad- have influenced how Modern Architecture shaped in India from 1960 onward. Note that the Works of Louis Kahn are priceless & unprecedented Cultural Assets & Modern Architectural Heritage of our Nation & of entire humanity at large.
These Cultural Assets belong to the City, State & the Country & the Globe at Large & the IIM Administration of the day are merely custodians & Trustees of the Campus & its Historic Buildings designed by the Legendary Architect Louis Kahn.
The recent 2019 UNESCO Award/ Accolade bestowed on IIMA for the Works of Restoration of the Vikram Sarabhai Library itself should have provided the impetus , energy & Fuel for much more ambitious Program of Restoration of the Entire Louis Kahn Campus architectural Assemblage- as in integrated whole & in its entirety. But quite ironically it seems that has not happened at all.
We would – as INTACH – we would like to urge you to revoke this decision, announce the same immediately & appoint an Official Experts Group/ Conservation Committee of eminent & competent individuals - to look into the matter in a transparent manner to assuage all anxiety & concern raised by these recent moves of the IIMA
Regards
Sanjeev Joshi (93762xxxxx)
Co-Convener INTACH Gujarat State
The FAA-AGM 2020-Alumni Members (CEPT University – Ahmedabad)
Dear All,
Thank you for your letter to me of 28th December, 2020, stating your very strong objections to the proposed demolition works of the dormitory buildings designed by Louis Kahn on the IIMA campus. You have requested me to make a public statement that we are not going ahead with partial or full demolition of the dorms or any original Louis Kahn buildings. You state that the buildings are the heritage assets and we are mere custodians.
I would like to put the following for your consideration. If I may, the Louis Kahn buildings are legacy buildings, not heritage buildings. I believe the distinction is important but would not want to labour the point. And we are most fortunate to be the bearers of this legacy which implies that we have a vast responsibility.
Unfortunately, we do not equally share the benefits and burdens of the legacy. Whilst the architect and other communities benefit like us from the legacy they do not share some of the burdens of the legacy that the custodians have to shoulder. As custodians we wholly accept this distribution of obligations and whilst doing so are faced with a tension that whilst we maintain the legacy and culture bestowed on us by the visionaries who shaped modern Ahmedabad we also have to be focused on the issue of life and safety. Any incident that compromises the safety of the persons in the dorms will result in a criminal responsibility placed on the Director of the institute and its functionaries and not on any of you.
I need not put forth the various dimensions regarding safety to a distinguished group of architects. Suffice it to say that the bricks used were not the best in class, had an inbuilt efflorescence, and nothing was done to protect them especially when the walls are load bearing. Pointing was used to hide the blunt edges of the bricks and this got damaged and allowed the collection of water which resulted in ingress into the masonry. Concrete encasing was not used to protect the embedded reinforcement bars.
Whatever be the list of issues, after restoration of one dorm that was taken up on an experimental basis, an independent structural consultant opined the dorm is unsafe. The structural consultant of the conservation architect on the other hand opined that the dorm will resist moderate earthquakes with limited damage but there will be significant damage with severe earthquakes. The opinion with regard to the library was different where it was stated that it would withstand a severe earthquake with minor damage. Meanwhile there were slabs falling from the roof of the dorms with damaging consequences for the lives of the residents.
As I said we have to balance the legacy issue with the safety issue. Instead of calling us out we would have benefited by responses from the architect community as to how to go about this. Surely some good reasons should be forthcoming that the entire gamut of buildings deserves equal treatment and should be restored in their entirety when the current data is that they are not equally able to meet safety requirements. Maybe they should be all restored but that requires that available expertise beyond that we interacted with is put before us.
I believe the Building Committee and the Board of the institute took its duties seriously. However, we are not an organization that is not receptive to the stakeholders. The Board will be meeting shortly to consider all the petitions that have been put before us. At that meeting I will be recommending that a committee be set up with some independent experts to review the state of the dorms and advise us as to what are the steps we should take given we have legacy buildings that are unsafe. One of my recommendations will be that an entity such as the Central Building Research Institute be requested to do a structural analysis of the dorms and provide inputs on the feasibility of restoration. Do bear with us. It is not possible to respond to everyone even while we do take each expression of views on board and consider them sincerely. Some of you I see have written to us in dual capacities – as members of the FAAA and INTACH Gujarat for instance. We are finding it difficult to respond to everyone.
Regards,
Errol
Professor Errol D'Souza | प्रोफेसर एर्रोल डिसूज़ा
Director | निदेशक
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AHMEDABAD | भारतीय प्रबधं संसथान अहमदाबाद Phone / दूरभाष: +91-79 7152 4848/4845 | Fax / फैक्स: +91-79 2630 834