Alert to preserve Louis Kahn architectural heritage on IIM Ahmedabad campus reiterated
ICOMOS said it was ‘deeply distressed’ by the board of governors’ decision not to take up any further restoration and to opt for reconstruction.
An international NGO working for the conservation of monuments and sites has issued two alerts on “the threat” to the former campus of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) and “the imminent risk of loss of buildings of international significance” that make up the cultural landscape designed by Louis I Kahn with his team of Indian architects, landscape architects and engineers.
The latest heritage alert, issued in December 2022 to IIMA board of governors chairperson Pankaj Patel, was reiterated during a webinar held by the NGO, ICOMOS, on April 13-14. In the alert, ICOMOS said it was “deeply distressed” by the IIMA board of governors’ announcement in November 2022 that it would not take up any further restoration of the buildings and would instead opt for their reconstruction.
“Following the loss of other internationally significant architectural creations in India, such as the Hall of Nations in Delhi, and current threats to many more, such as the Kala Academy of Goa, we are calling upon the board of governors and the alumni association of this eminent institution to take further time to reflect, plan with what exists and consider the professional opinion of those who can help you balance the needs of the campus whilst maintaining the built heritage,” the alert stated.
The alert, supported by the International Committee for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement, called on the IIMA endowment fund as well to preserve the Louis Kahn legacy on the campus. The first alert was issued in January 2021.
The webinar was organised on “Future for the Modern Past: Heritage-led Development for IIM Ahmedabad” by ICOMOS India’s National Scientific Committee of 20 C and Emerging Professionals Working Group in collaboration with the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture & Environmental Studies, Mumbai.
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