louis kahn's family speaks out following continued plans to demolish historic dorms in india

the indian institute of management (IIM) in ahmedabad, india announces plans to demolish much of its louis kahn-designed dorms, sparking a global architectural-preservation controversy. the administration plans to remove fourteen of the eighteen student dormitory buildings, originally built across the 1960s and 1970s. an online meeting to begin seeking new bids for the demolition was canceled following a local and international outcry. while louis kahn remains one of america’s most important architects, his brick dormitories at IIM are integral to the campus on the whole and are considered among his finest works. in response to worldwide protest, the school’s board of governors has announced that it had abandoned its plans to demolish the dormitories.

in announcing its decision, the board recognizes the global outcry, commenting: ‘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… we are acutely cognizant of the place that the institute and its architecture occupy in the larger community, and of the responsibility that comes with being custodians of the legacy that louis kahn bestowed on us.’

image © dave morris

following the initial announcement to demolish the louis kahn-designed dorms at indian institute of management (IIM) in india, the world monuments fund had called on the institute’s administration to reconsider. the group insists that the project stands as an important influence on the ‘modern development of indian higher education,’ and that the environmentally sustainable design continues to exemplify locally-minded, climate-sensitive architecture. the group states: ‘conceived as an ensemble, the kahn campus must be preserved in its entirety to protect the aesthetic, functional and symbolic values imbued within.’

image by abhishek donda

in a letter to alumni, director of the iconic institute in india errol d’souza defends the demolition proposal, calling the louis kahn-designed structures ‘unlivable.’ as the project was constructed with ‘second-class bricks’ that had since become brittle and weak, the director cites extensive structural issues. these issues include slabs of concrete falling from the roofs, cracking and water seepage due to deteriorated brickwork, and concrete encasing was not used to protect the embedded reinforcement bars. the work finally suffered a compromised structure resulting from a 2001 earthquake. although the school had previously commissioned an extensive restoration project for the iconic buildings, the plans have been since reversed with the intention to rebuild entirely.

image by abhishek donda

director errol d’souza says now that the buildings will require extensive restoration efforts due to their derelict condition. the revised plans include conducting a structural analysis of the dorms by an independent entity. d’souza will recommend an independent entity such as the central building research institute to perform a structural analysis of the dormitories and provide consultation on the feasibility of restoration. the cost of restoration has been projected to be at least RS 3.5 crore (approximately 480,000 USD) per dorm, a prediction which considers a recent preservation effort. in 2014, ‘dormitory 15’ had been restored by somaya and kalappa (S&K) consultants, although officials claim that this effort will need to be repeated every three years.

image by abhishek donda

questions are being raised about how the dorms reached such an irreversible state of disrepair. kirtee shah, chairman of KSA design planning services and president of habitat forum comments: ‘IIM-A management and whoever is involved and responsible, need to examine why is the institution in this predicament now, why are the buildings in such a state of distress, just 50-60 years after they were constructed? why in such a small period do they require major repairs, big budget restorations and even demolition?‘

image by abhishek donda

although immediate plans to remove the fourteen dorms have been put on hold, the buildings are still under threat of eventual removal. with the substandard materials and derelict structure, the historic modernist buildings still remain unsafe. with this in mind, kahn’s three children, sue ann kahn, alexandra tyng, and nathaniel kahn, reached out to errol d’souza, imploring him to preserve their father’s work. in a letter to the director, the family writes: ‘with all due respect, we find the arguments for demolition of the dormitories at iima, put forward in your letter to the alumni and in your response to us, to be illogical and misleading. you attempt to make the case that the dormitories are a lost cause, yet you have already restored one of the dorms (d-15) and have announced intentions to restore three more. this is a contradictory position.’

image by abhishek donda

the letter from the kahn family continues, referencing : ‘the photographs you show of the dorms in your letter to the alumni are clearly chosen to highlight problem areas, but these are exactly the kinds of conditions that were encountered and already remedied in D-15 and in the library. in fact, the first photo you show in your letter to the IIMA alumni has the number ’16’ above the lintel. dormitory 16 is one of the three additional buildings that you indicate you plan to restore. therefore, we already know that the problems illustrated can be fixed. you also take issue with the quality of the bricks used in the original construction. but these are the same bricks used in the library, and very effective measures have been developed by your restoration team to deal with the various brick-related challenges encountered.‘

the family continues, referencing the previous restoration work by somaya & kalappa consultants: ‘why not celebrate the clear success of iima’s conservation efforts to date by sharing photographs of the restored vikram sarabhai library and dormitory D-15? below are a few screenshots from last month’s public lecture at CEPT given by brinda somaya, the principal in your restoration team of somaya & kalappa consultants. these before and after shots clearly show the exemplary restoration of both the library and dormitory D-15.’

before and after comparison of the restoration work done at the vikram sarabhai library (CEPT university/youtube)

‘we, and indeed many others worldwide, find it confounding that IIMA would take such a radical course of action to destroy its heritage if the buildings can be restored successfully. if you need more student living spaces, as you indicate in your EOI, you are already building a new campus that can address that. if the problem is money, please just say so. in addition to the many IIM graduates that revere the kahn buildings, there are organizations and individuals the world over who support the cause of preserving great architecture. if you appeal to them with a clear commitment to conservation and restoration, they can assist you.’

before and after restoration comparison of the brickwork at dorm 15 (CEPT university/youtube)

‘there is one point from our initial letter to you that we must clarify: the option of making sensitive adjustments to the dormitory interiors to suit changing needs is in no way the same as tearing the buildings down and constructing something else on the same footprint. please do not attempt to twist the meaning of what we wrote to you. you cannot retain the ‘grammar’ of our father’s buildings if you destroy them. period. in a recent statement to the press, you indicate that adjustment of interior spaces in the kahn dorm buildings is problematic. but has your experienced conservation team actually studied its feasibility? if so, we request that this study be made public.’

louis kahn’s family concludes its appeal to the director of the indian institute of management ahmedabad: ‘we implore you to reconsider this calamitous and irreversible decision. there are many people and organizations throughout india and the world ready to help you resolve this in a way that is beneficial to IIMA, and that also preserves the timeless work of architecture in your care. please make use of the resources available to you. we are eager to speak directly with you and the IIMA board. will you please convene a meeting with us as soon as possible?’

project info:

project title: indian institute of management ahmedabad

architecture: louis kahn

original completion: 1962-1974

photography: abhishek donda