Safety first, says IIMA as board decides to reconstruct parts of old campus

Will try to maintain Louis Kahn heritage but not at the cost of safety of campus residents, says IIMA as it unveils redesigned website and logo

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad has promised to put safety first, as its Board of Governors approved rebuilding parts of the old campus around the iconic Louis Kahn Plaza and its “Harvard steps”.

The premier B-school has decided that it will not continue with any further restoration of the faculty blocks, classroom complex and dorms other than D15.

“After careful consideration, an RFP (request for proposal) process will be initiated later for the reconstruction of the faculty blocks, classroom complex, and the peripheral dorms 16 to 18 with the same exterior façade, a seismically safe structure, and non-major renovation of the internal space to improve its functionality to suit the needs of the users. The other dorms will be remodelled, in line with the Louis Kahn heritage and keeping in mind the functional needs of current and future residents of the campus,” the B-school stated on Thursday.

According to IIMA’s Board of Governors, over the last two decades, the institute has conducted regular inspections, studies and repairs — whenever experts recommended or if a problem was visible — on the buildings. “The safety of our people is our primary responsibility, and with that in mind, the Board felt there was a need to address this issue rather than opt for temporary solutions such as restorations, which had been attempted but were not as effective,” it said.

The Board had consulted experts and discussed the issue for several months before taking a decision on reconstruction of parts of the old campus.

“All reports indicate that most structural elements have insignificant residual life, and thus restoration will be technically impractical and ineffective despite investment of time, effort, and funds. As a result, rebuilding in such sections of the old campus is unavoidable. We express our deep gratitude for the wisdom and advice provided by our various stakeholders and experts throughout the process,” the board said.

IIMA Director Errol D’Souza said that over time it became obvious that maintaining the buildings was very difficult.

Read also: Louis Kahn Plaza: The shape of an icon

“The amount of deterioration is extensive and we asked for more details from a team of experts. Safety of people on campus was paramount for us. We want to maintain a legacy, but we do not want to do that if it is going to hurt or kill people on campus. We have had cases where parts of the building have fallen off and it has become dangerous,” he added.

An RFP will be placed for restoration work in the next few months. “It will take at least three years for the work to be completed. We aim to at least put out an RFP in the next few months. The institute will continue to raise funds for the reconstruction work,” D’Souza told Business Standard.

On behalf of the board, its member and IIMA faculty Ajay Pandey said discussions on campus restoration and eventual reconstruction work began in September 2017 with several meetings with the architect community, alumni, faculty and students. The board finally decided to reconstruct, instead of restoring, certain parts including some of the dorms after reports by two teams of experts, said Pandey.

Read also: Louis Kahn's architectural legacy is integral, symbiotic

In 2020, sections of the architectural community and alumni had raised concerns over reconstruction of some parts of the old campus, leading to IIMA clarifying that it would explore other options.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Kahn, an exponent of exposed brick architecture, had built 18 dormitories around the Louis Kahn Plaza, which comprises the Vikram Sarabhai Library, faculty and administrative blocks as well as classrooms. However, following gradual wear and tear as well as some structural damage due to the 2001 earthquake, IIMA took up restoration work of these buildings.

The B-school held a competition in 2014 to grant the restoration and update work of all of Kahn’s buildings. Mumbai-based firm Somaya & Kalappa Consultants Consultants emerged the winner. The library’s restoration, in fact, bagged the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage and was widely appreciated for its conservation work.

However, the 18 dorms (D1 to D18) have been facing problems like leakages and dampness in walls, apart from the damage caused by the earthquake. Barring Dorm 15, which has been restored, and 16-18, which will be restored, the others are in the inner core.

After unsatisfactory results from restoring one of the 18 dorms that have become dilapidated over a time, IIMA had put out an expression of interest with an aim to rebuild around 14 dorms. The move had, however, drawn flak from Indian and international architectural communities and experts who raised concerns over a potential damage to Kahn’s legacy.

In a second major decision, IIMA’s Board of Governors has decided to launch a redesigned website along with a refreshed logo.

For a digital-first world, the refreshed logo has “IIMA” as a single wordmark while the Sanskrit inscription “Vidya Viniyogadvikasa” (development through the distribution or application of knowledge) continues to be an integral part of the logo. The logo also has refreshed the “jaali” (net) work with clear and bold lines and curves in navy blue. While retaining the original aesthetics of the logo art, the fresh logo makes it digitally discernible on any device and adaptable to all formats. The “jaali” in the logo of the institute symbolises the roots of the institute in Ahmedabad city.
 

“As IIMA and its ethos shapes and adapts to global shifts, the institute felt the need to re-envision the IIMA website and renew its visual identity, which is represented by its logo. The new website embodies the IIMA brand philosophy of ‘Simple, Bold, and Global’. After consulting with and incorporating feedback from relevant stakeholders, the logo refresh was also completed. The refreshed logo aims to convey a more vivid and vibrant brand identity while retaining all the elements of the existing IIMA logo that evoke and channel trust, authenticity, and legacy by emphasising a strong connection to Indian culture,” the Board of Governors said.

Meanwhile, the new website will reflect IIMA’s position as a preeminent institution of management. The idea was to make the website more engaging with prospective students, alumni, current students and faculty, and reflect the institute’s voice as a leader in research, teaching and innovation while maintaining its bold and global image.