IIMA, alumni meet midway on protecting Kahn legacy

On the basis of the latest brief, the IIMA will invite an RFP (request for proposal) from architects in the coming days to submit plans of replicating Kahn’s buildings, including all dorms.

The latest decision came after a discussion on the “Future of IIMA Infrastructure” on Sunday morning for all its alumni was chaired by BoG chairman Pankaj Patel. He was accompanied by Director Prof Bharat Bhasker, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and IIMA faculty members, and IIMA’s former chief administrative officer Manoj Bhatt. It was under Bhatt’s tenure that the institute took major decisions linked to Kahn’s buildings.
S Vishwanathan, president Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad Alumni Association Bangalore Chapter, and 1981 batch alumnus, told The Indian Express, “The discussion turned out to be a collaborative effort by the IIMA BoG. It was better than was expected. They have agreed upon the demand to ensure Kahn’s legacy will be protected. The main idea is to keep the design element intact.”

Followed by a brief presentation made by Patel on the architectural history of the old campus and its current status in terms of deterioration and restoration attempts, three IIT Roorkee professors gave a detailed but technical presentation of around 45 minutes on the deterioration of Kahn’s buildings. The restoration was not a solution, they suggested. Both presentations lasted for around an hour and were followed by an Open House by Pankaj Patel with all the stakeholders.

IIT Roorkee had earlier submitted a structural report which was cited by IIMA as the “major deciding factor” behind the plan to demolish the Kahn buildings. “The possibilities of refurbishing these buildings were also discussed in detail by the BoG Chairman, and keeping the restored Dorm 15 and the library as benchmarks that – even after refurbishing – have developed cracks. It was made clear that even after refurbishing, which takes a lot of time with high costs, there is no guarantee of how long the refurbished buildings will last. No architect has assured that for these buildings,” Himal Parikh, president, IIMA Alumni Association (IIMAAA) Ahmedabad Chapter, told The Indian Express.

Citing more examples of the future of restored structures for protecting heritage, a reference to Flora Fountain in Mumbai was also made by the BoG. It was highlighted that a small structure took years to be restored with huge financial costs.

Adding to this, 1998 batch alumni Shiva Prasad said, “The conclusion was very clear – to work out a solution that is acceptable to everyone when refurbishing is not the answer. We have been assured of an inclusive, collaborative, and transparent decision-making process where all stakeholders will be consulted before the final move.”

A majority of the alumni who spoke to The Indian Express shared positive feedback on the discussion that went off in an informal manner.

“Anyone was free to ask questions and share thoughts with the authorities who welcomed suggestions,” shared an alumnus of a recent batch who joined virtually.

Louis Kahn, the Estonian-born American architect, is remembered as one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. The IIMA alumni have been debating the proposal to demolish Kahn’s buildings for several years. They have also questioned, what they have described, as the opacity of decisions by the management at the institute.
In November, after a gap of a couple of years during which time IIMA claimed it held consultations with various professionals, its Board of Governors announced to “not continue with any further restoration of the faculty blocks, classroom complex,” but opting instead for a “reconstruction of the faculty blocks, classroom complex, and three peripheral dorms with the same exteriors façade, a seismically safe structure, and non-major renovation of the internal space to improve its functionality to suit the needs of the users”.

Earlier, only the peripheral dorms – Dorms 16, 17, and 18 – along with the Louis Kahn Plaza were to be reconstructed with the original facade. IIMA had announced the remodeling of other dorms, in line with the Louis Kahn heritage and keeping in mind the functional needs of current and future residents of the campus. With Sunday’s meeting, IIMA has assured to replicate all the buildings on the old campus.

Sunday’s attempts by IIMA’s BoG seem to pacify the alumni community. The alumni had been accusing the authorities of lacking transparency in taking major decisions and not making alumni a part of these discussions.