Docomomo International became aware by Docomomo India and the historian William J. R. Curtis that the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, one of  Louis Kahn’s emblematic works and also known as “heritage campus”, is under high risk to be partly demolished.

Being concerned with the irreversible loss that the demolition of part of the Indian Institute of Management would significate in the context of modern architecture, Docomomo International wants to raise awareness and appeal to the preservation of this iconic building.

“Kahn built two projects on the subcontinent, the Assembly Complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh and the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad (IIMA). Both can be counted among the greatest works of his mature years and both reflect his response to the cultures, climates and traditions of their respective places. But now the administration of the IIMA has announced that the 18 dormitories, integral to Kahn’s overall design of the complex, will be demolished and replaced with buildings by an as-yet unnamed architect, on the same footprint, as if anyone can step into the master’s shoes.

IIMA was the brainchild of the industrialist and philanthropist Vikram Sarabahi, who realized in the late 1950s that India needed to train its own cadre of managers and entrepreneurs as part of its ongoing modernization. Young Doshi was offered the job but deferred to Kahn, whom he believed to be the next best after his own mentor, Le Corbusier. (…) Kahn’s project dates from the early 1960s and basically contains two sectors ingeniously locked together: the block and court containing the Vikram Sarabhai Library, Lecture Halls and Administration; and the 18 dormitories arranged as a sort of diagonal flotilla in which the buildings and the spaces between are given equal emphasis. In his scheme, Kahn was inspired by several prototypes in the history of architecture, from monasteries with courts and cloisters, to the brick cylinders of the 14th century Albi Cathedral in France, to the outdoor rooms of the 15th century palaces at Mandu in India. The complex is built mainly in brick, with some interventions of concrete for lateral bracing and tie bars. The architecture has a timeless atmosphere, as if it had stood there for centuries rather than just decades. With its interweaving of space and form, light and shade, orthogonal and diagonal geometries, the dormitory complex is a virtuoso demonstration of Kahn’s immense skill as a designer. A citadel of learning, replete with cylindrical towers, shaded streets and squares, it is not unlike a tight-knit Indian fortified town.

Over the years, the naked brick surfaces gradually deteriorated, possibly due to water seepage and the rusting of steel reinforcing. In 2001, an earthquake inflicted further damage and cracking. (…) Then in 2014, IIMA announced a competition for the restoration and updating of all of Kahn’s buildings on the campus. The Mumbai firm SNK (Somaya and Kalappa Consultants), with a strong record of historic restoration, won. The challenge was to preserve Kahn’s architecture while updating the functionality of the interiors. By 2017, SNK had completed the renovation of the Library/ Lecture/Administrative block—and received a prestigious award from UNESCO for the work, which was cited as model for the restoration of other major modern structures in India.

It was understood that the 18 dormitories and the spaces between them would also be restored by SNK. The architects took the most damaged of the structures to experiment with a range of techniques. But the administration of IIMA termed the trial restoration unsatisfactory and announced the intention to knock down all 18 dormitories. Yet an internationally recognized expert in restoration visited the building SNK worked on and found that the renovation was altogether satisfactory.  Why the school has decided to raze the historic structures remains murky.

The destruction of Kahn’s scheme is cultural vandalism; it would set a terrible precedent in an India where so many fine buildings are under threat from rabid development. IIMA’s international reputation is at stake. Current laws in India provide national heritage protection only to buildings and sites more than 100 years old. This leaves Le Corbusier’s Millowner’s Association and Kahn’s Institute of Management in Ahmedabad in extremely vulnerable positions. (…) Instead of ruining their masterpiece and their reputation, the leaders of IIMA should be persuaded to complete the restoration of Kahn’s buildings at the highest possible level, and perhaps attain the same World Heritage status as Chandigarh.”

The tender for the proposed demolition of the IIM Ahmedabad can be downloaded here.

About the project and ongoing situation of IIMA, read the following article published by William J. R. Curtis in the Architectural Record.
An open letter to the Director of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad was also sent by Prem Chandavarkar and available on: link; second letter: link.
Another open letter is available here, please sign it!

Help raising awareness by signing the petition on: change.org.