Behind the conservation story of IIM-Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: At the core of a recent controversy about razing down most of the dormitories at the campus of Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad (IIM-A), designed by well-known architect Louis Kahn seemed to lie a recent restoration project that was being handled by Mumbai-based firm Somaya and Kalappa (SNK) Consultants.
A recent letter by the board of governors (BoG) for IIM-A announced their decision to withdraw the proposal for pulling down the buildings.The letter, among others, states that Dormitory 15 was restored successfully but an independent structural engineer, whose name is not shared, opined that the restored dorm is not safe. The decision by IIM-A to demolish these structures faced national and international outcry last month.
Back in 2018, Brinda Somaya, principal architect of SNK Consultants wrote in an article in a journal ‘Louis I. Kahn – The Permanence’ published by Docomomo International, that the holistic approach towards conservation of IIM-A campus buildings by the board and IIM-A director would set precedent for twentieth-century buildings in the country like Corbusier’s buildings in Chandigarh.
It explains in detail the methodology followed for restoration of dorms and library, and what tests and techniques were carried out for restoration purpose. The paper states that the approval of IIM-A management was taken at various stages.
The firm was appointed as the conservation architects for the project of preservation, restoration and upgrade of the Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad in 2014.
From 2014 to 2015, detailed condition-mapping of the school building and 18 dormitories were carried out by SNK to understand the extent of deterioration in the external and internal built fabric.
Non-destructive tests were carried out to analyze the state of the building materials such as brick, concrete, cement mortar, reinforcement bars, condition of structural members, and the soil, it said. TOI has reviewed a copy of the paper.
The restoration of the library, for which it won an Unesco award, was completed after restoration of Dorm 15.
“The main causes of deterioration of these buildings were the techniques used for construction and localized repair carried thereafter. It was found that cover blocks used during the reinforced cement concrete construction were either absent or inadequately sized leading to the carbonation of the slab to its full depth,” the paper stated.
Bricks used at IIM-A were found to be second-class bricks as per the IS 3102-1971 with average compressive strength of 4.98 N/sqmm and with inbuilt efflorescence.