Avid Learning in association with the Kala Ghoda Association, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai, and Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
Architecture is not just about designing buildings. It's about creating spaces that inspire and captivate people. Our heritage sites are a testament to the rich cultural and architectural history of our world. But as times change, so do our needs and expectations from these spaces. This raises a pertinent question - how can we reimagine architecture to bring our heritage sites to life?
Adaptive reuse is the practice of repurposing an existing building or structure for a new use, rather than demolishing it and building something new. Through lecture demonstrations, the experts will showcase adaptive reuse practices from colonial bungalows of Kolkata (Rajbaris) and Imperial Bungalows of New Delhi along with international best practices from around the world. They will share insights and experiences of working with, both heritage sites and everyday mundane buildings transforming the traditional urban fabric. The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion.
Join us to explore spaces and places that keep our cities inspiring and thriving.
Professor Ed Hollis is Personal Chair, Interior Design, University of Edinburgh. He studied Architecture at Cambridge and Edinburgh Universities; and practiced as an architect for six years, first in Sri Lanka, in the practice of Geoffrey Bawa, at that time the ‘grand old man’ of Sri Lankan Architecture, famous for his garden of follies and ruins at Lunuganga; and then in the practice of Richard Murphy, well known for his radical alterations to ancient and historic buildings in and around Edinburgh. In 1999, Edward Hollis began lecturing in Interior Architecture at Napier University, Edinburgh, working with students both in the design studio and in more theoretical disciplines. In 2004, he moved to Edinburgh College of Art, where until 2012, he ran undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Interior Design. He is currently developing a cross-European Ph.D. program in cultural heritage with the Una Europa consortium. Instagram: @tersatto | Twitter: @edwardhollis2
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Benoy Gregory Kovacs trained as an architect and engineer at Budapest University of Technology and the Architectural Association in London, receiving the RIBA Goldfinger Award in 2007. Later he taught at the Architectural Association and was a unit master at the undergraduate school of the Bartlett UCL. In London he worked at Heatherwick Studio, leading projects like the Fosun Foundation building in Shanghai. Gregory relocated to Asia in 2017 as a Design Director of Benoy working across its Hong Kong, Singapore and Shenzhen studios. His art practice is concerned with questions of materiality, chance, and computation and has been exhibited at the Royal Academy in London. Gregory’s work spreads across the fields of academics, architecture, interior design, computation and art. His current focus has been to create a sustainable vision for architecture engaged with the repurposing of failing buildings and the revitalization of neighbourhoods.
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Arjun Malik There was always a certain inevitability about my decision to be an architect. It was ultimately the paradoxical nature of the profession, and the belief, through constant exposure to my father’s practice, that architecture, like cinema or literature, was a medium for commentary and personal expression, that led me down this path. I completed my bachelors in architecture at the Rachana Sansad Academy of Architecture and went on to receive a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from the Columbia University in New York. I returned to join my father’s 30 year old firm in 2005. Through our work, we have tried to develop an idiom that would reconcile the intellectual and intuitive aspects of architecture, that would provide a tangible link to the past without getting nostalgic, that would be technologically progressive without being experientially stunted, and that would, ultimately, speak through the intangible science of perceptual phenomena. The current over-emphasis on the intellectual and conceptual dimensions of architecture has contributed to the disappearance of the physical, sensual and embodied essence of architecture. In our practice, we focus more on generic metaphors rather than specific analogs, relying on the intuitive reading of context, allegory and functional parameters to generate topological shifts. Empirical mathematical processes are tempered with the exploration of phenomenological precepts to generate architecture that transcends the merely intellectual and visual and addresses the often ignored experiential aspects of architecture.
Read moreAdaptive Reuse
The practice of reshaping an existing building or
structure for a new use rather than tearing it down and starting from scratch
is known as adaptive reuse. It entails adapting an existing structure to meet
modern needs while preserving its historical or cultural significance through
rehabilitation, refurbishment, or conversion. It is a method of sustainable
design and development that is gaining popularity because it can help with
waste reduction, resource conservation, and urban renewal.
To ensure that the building complies with current
construction laws and standards while maintaining its historic or cultural
relevance, adaptive reuse projects require careful planning and design. In
order to reconcile the requirements of the new use with those of the existing
structure, architects, and designers frequently come up with original and
innovative design solutions.
Global
Examples of Adaptive Reuse
Through adaptive reuse, abandoned or neglected
structures may be turned into vibrant and functional cultural hubs. The Tate
Modern, London is a museum of modern art situated at the Bankside Power Station,
a former power plant that was transformed into a museum in 2000. On top of a
defunct railroad line in Manhattan, there is an elevated park called The High
Line. The neighborhood has been rehabilitated by the transformation of the
railway into a park. Denmark's Iceberg Project in Aarhus entails the
construction of five new structures around an old industrial harbor basin.
Apartments, workplaces, and a public promenade are all part of the
iceberg-shaped buildings.
Indian
Examples of Adaptive Reuse
The palaces of Rajasthan were among the first
instances of adaptive reuse in India. Take the case of the Neemrana Fort from
the 15th century which was transformed into a luxurious hotel in 1991. The more
than 100-year-old Alembic Industrial plant in Vadodara, originally built to
produce penicillin, is now a museum with areas designated for art studios,
exhibits, and presentations. The 19th-century Haveli Dharampura in Old Delhi
has now become one of the top choices for Mughlai-style cuisine in the city and
a popular cultural space. Goa's Soro Village Bar was previously an industrial
warehouse constructed in the 1940s.
Colonial
Bungalows of India
A notable architectural legacy of British authority
in India is the colonial bungalow. In order to provide a comfortable living
environment in the hot and humid Indian climate, these bungalows were primarily
single-story homes with broad verandahs, high ceilings, and enormous windows.
The name bungalow originates from the Hindi word bangla which described a type of house
with a thatched roof, popular in India's Bengal area. During the British
administration, this home design was modified and built upon to produce bigger,
more opulent mansions for British officials. The bungalow style spread
throughout time to various nations, and homebuyers continue to choose it today.
Miki Desai and Madhavi Desai, partners at Archicrafts, Ahmedabad outline the different styles of bungalows found across India - Rajbaris, Kolkata; Garden Houses, Chennai; Imperial Bungalows, New Delhi; Carpenter Gothic Bungalows, Bengaluru; Suburban Art Deco Bungalows, Mumbai. These bungalows have been adaptively reused and repurposed in line with local geographical and cultural contexts
