Slammed for its move to demolish 14 out of 18 dormitories in its existing campus in Ahmedabad , the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad has decided to drop the proposal to demolish the heritage buildings designed by the well-known American architect Louis Kahn.
The Board of Governors of the business school in a letter on Friday announced that the earlier Expression of Interest (EoI) issued by the Institute stands withdrawn in the wake of feedback received from the stakeholders who did not agree with its decision to demolish the iconic buildings considering their heritage value.
“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 Board of Governors stated in the letter issued on Friday.
“We 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, which the institute will communicate in due course,” the Board said while announcing its latest decision. The EoI had triggered a controversy as alumni, architects and others slammed the Institute calling its proposal to demolish the dormitories as ‘cultural vandalism’.
“We seek your support as we try to find the best answer to the issues of how to cater to our responsibility to a significant legacy, the safety of those who utilise the buildings as well as being in tune with the needs of the future.”
As soon as the EoI was issued, the alumni of IIMA criticized the proposal and around 500 former students launched a digital protest by creating a WhatsApp group called ‘Save Louis Kahn’s IIMA’. There is also a separate group on another social media platform Telegram. The IIMA alumni forum has around 45,000 members spread across the world working in top MNCs, consultancy forms, financial institutions and other fields.
“Many of you have been writing in ever since the Expression of Interest was put up for the design of the student housing at the main campus of the institute. 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. Thank you – we acknowledge your sentiments and appreciate the underlying passion you have for the institute,” the Board stated in its letter.
The Institute has contended that the buildings have become dilapidated and unsafe for the students and consultants opined that safety would not be ensured even after restoration.
“The Institute recognises that it has a cultural legacy to nurture. At the same time, there can be no compromise on the safety of the residents of the dorms.”
“The core of the Louis Kahn buildings — the library, the faculty wings, and the class room complex — and the dorms on the periphery of the complex (Dorms 16-18) would be restored, while the other dorms would be reconstructed. Following this, the Expression of Interest was put out. The entire process has involved deep deliberations at the Building Committee and Board of Governors over the last few years.”
