Even before Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad’s (IIM-A) director Prof Errol D’Souza reached out to its alumni on December 23 amid growing criticism on the institute’s decision to rebuild dormitories on the old campus designed by American architect Louis Kahn, the institute had organised several workshops and open house discussions deliberating the issue with the former student community.
One of the major ones happened in the form of an open house organised in mid 2018. It was also attended by architects, then chairman of IIM-A building committee Pankaj Patel, heritage experts among IIM-A’s senior administration officials.12
Further, on these consultations, Kochar the 1983 batch pass out, also batchmate of former director Ashish Nanda said, “The discussions were around what should be done with an overwhelming opinion that the architecture and heritage aesthetics should be maintained but at the same time find solutions of dilapidation and issues faced in restoration.”
Even as the decision of bringing down Kahn’s dorms has met with an outrage pouring in from several quarters, Prof D’Souza while speaking with this paper said, “This is a slow project and no overnight or sudden decision. If people are saying that is not enough, it took three years to make this decision of rebuilding Kahn’s dormitories on the old campus.”
On Tuesday, The Architectural Review, an international magazine started an online petition calling to “save Louis Kahn IIM Ahmedabad dormitories from demolition”3.
- 1. Confirming this, IIM-A Alumni Ahmedabad Chapter president Jagdeep Kochar said, “There have been nearly a dozen consultations and discussions held between the institute and its alumni. The 2018 workshop that witnessed a good participation was at a time when the restoration of library was on the verge of completion and restoration work of D-15 dorm was to be taken up.”
- 2. Prof Errol D’Souza told The Indian Express, “We have invited all alumni for a one-day workshop that also included architects and heritage experts to discuss the issue of dorms. We told them if they are not able to make it for the workshop they can even send in their views and suggestions.”
- 3. Petition · Save Louis Kahn’s IIM Ahmedabad dormitories from demolition · Change.org
Mid-December, the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad (IIMA) announced the decision to demolish 14 of the 18 dormitories on their campus designed by Louis Kahn.
The Architectural Review published an Outrage by William JR Curtis last week and Prem Chandavarkar drafted an open letter addressed to IIMA director Errol D’Souza, exposing the situation in great detail and asking for the decision to be reconsidered. Both texts insist on the cohesiveness and integrity of the campus, and the importance to preserve it as a whole.
Kahn’s design is ‘embodied in a spatial order to be experienced, where the union of the academic block, library and dormitories create an intimate network of courtyards that, along with the buildings, capture the spirit of a monastic community of learners where knowledge is collectively held as sacred’ writes Chandavarkar, while Curtis adds that ‘the suggestion that the library, administration and lecture hall can represent “heritage” once the dormitories are demolished quite simply beggars belief’.
Indian laws stipulate that structures can only be qualified as ‘heritage’ if older than 100 years. Yet the successful restoration of IIMA’s library by Somaya & Kalappa (SNK) was recognised with an Award of Distinction in the 2019 UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards. Balkrishna Doshi said the building looks as good as new, and this distinction was seen by SNK and many others as a step in the right direction, raising awareness about the importance to preserve India’s modern heritage.
As articles condemning the planned demolition of IIMA dormitories are gathering momentum, the purpose of this petition is to show their widespread support and formalise a global demand: we want to ask for the decision to be reversed and for Louis Kahn’s dormitories to be saved from the wrecking ball. All 18 dormitories should be preserved and restored to meet the institution’s future needs.