Louis Kahn dormitories in Ahmedabad saved from demolition after global protests
Plans to demolish part of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad by architect Louis Kahn have been withdrawn following an international outcry.
The management school s board of governors yesterday announced it had abandoned plans to demolish a cluster of brick dormitories that forms part of the monumental campus.
In a letter announcing the decision, the board of governors acknowledged the impact of global protests against the proposed destruction of 14 of the 18 dormitory buildings. You have sought to remind us that the dormitories designed by Louis Kahn are a cultural legacy and that these buildings are to be seen as an integral part of the ensemble of buildings that constitute the campus, said the letter.
In the wake of the recent controversy erupting around the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad putting up an Expression of Interest (EoI) for rebuilding some of the dormitories designed by Louis Kahn, the business school s board of governors (BoG) is now looking to re-evaluate its options. Writing to stakeholders of IIM Ahmedabad, the Chairman and the board of governors have said that will deliberate on the feedback received, re-evaluate the options, consult the best global conservation and structural experts, and chart out a course of action . We are sensitive to the feedback from some stakeholders who are not in agreement with this approach. We are therefore withdrawing the Expression of Interest that was put out, the IIM-A board s letter stated.
Asked how long would the IIM-A wait before going back to the restoration plan, D’Souza said, “We would wait and continue trying for at least two-three years. After which you have to admit the failure and take this as a last call. Though it would be a pathetic call to make.”
Curtis, in two letters to D’Souza, dated December 17 and December 20, which he shared with The Indian Express on Monday, suggested that “some or all of these dorms can serve other purposes in the life of the institution”.
Expressing “shock and dismay” over the plans to replace 18 dorms with new buildings, Kahn’s children wrote, “the buildings in question are the heart of our father’s universally acknowledged masterpiece at IIMA”. They also asked D’Souza to engage with them “at this critical time”.