In an effort to add some colour to the Metro experience, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has adapted features of heritage buildings for some of its stations. CMRL has pasted terracotta cladding tiles in buildings that are part of the Pachaiyappa’s College station that is on the stretch between Thirumangalam and Nehru Park that will be opened to the public in a month. The tiles have been placed on structures next to St. George’s Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, a heritage structure. “We want to execute this plan in Madras High Court and Chennai Central stations too,” a CMRL official said.
Sujatha Shankar, architect and INTACH Chennai Convenor, said St. George’s Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School is a colonial heritage structure with a distinctive arcade in brick. “I don’t know how the Metro station looks, but across the world, the [such] attempts can prove to be successful or terrible. It depends on the sensitivity with which the design and construction materials are chosen,” she said.
S. Santhanam, former member, chief urban planner, CMDA, said that if executed well, the station would stand out.
