Louis Kahn's buildings in Ahmedabad will have a second chance

The year started with good news for 20th century architecture. The latest work completed by Louis I. Kahn, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM), at the Ahmedabad Campus, in the Indian state of Gujarat, India, will have a second chance, to maintain its integrity as a whole.

A month ago it was partially threatened by the Board of Governors who published the intention to seek proposals to replace a group of 14 of the 18 dormitory buildings, of which the group is composed, that had been damaged by an earthquake.

In a new letter published on January 1 of this year, the board of governors acknowledged the impact of the protests received from around the world against the proposed destruction of the buildings and withdrew its intention to demolish it.

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 occupyin the larger community, and of the responsibility that comes with being custodians of the legacy that Louis Kahn bestowed on us.

Statement by Chairman and Membersof the Board of Governors.

One of the 18 older, at-risk brick dorm buildings (Students of IIMA/Wikimedia Commons).

A set half a century old threatened by its abandonment.

The project of the entire complex, comprising the Vikram Sarabhai Library, the main school complex as well as the dormitories, began in 1962 and was completed in 1974 the same year the architect died. He born in 1901, in present-day Estonia, and he migrated in 1906 (when his family moved to the United States), Kahn would end up becoming one of the most important architects of the 20th century.

Acording the university Kahn's structures were built with bricks "istermed “second class bricks” which have grown brittle and weak. Load bearingareas have become particularlyvulnerable. The masonry has also been damaged by collection of water. The reinforcement bars are not protected by concrete casing. The earthquakein 2001 caused extensive damage."

Peter Inskip and Stephen Gee were who advised that they should on an experimental basis first restore one building, and after they could decide how best to take up further work in the other buildings.

The Dorm 15 and the Library were restored by SNK (Somaya &Kalappa Consultants). However, on completion of the restoration experiment the restored dormitory was deemed unsafe by a consultant "will resist moderate earthquakes with limited damage but there will be significant damage with severe earthquakes". On the other hand, the opinion about the library was stated that it would withstand a severe earthquake with minor damage.

Overall, the expert opinions have not satisfactorily allayed their concerns about the long-term structural stability of the restored dorm.

According to the letter's statement, these were the reasons put out the Expression of Interest proposing that "the core of the Louis Kahn buildings-the library, the faculty wings, and the class room complex – and the dorms on the periphery of the complex (Dorms16-18) would be restored, while the other dorms would be reconstructed."

The Board of Governors will now reconsider options

"However, we are sensitive to the feedback from some stakeholders who are not in agreement with this approach. We are therefore withdrawing the Expression of Interest that was put out. We will deliberate on the feedback received, re-evaluate the options, consult the best global conservation and structural experts,and chart out a course of action, which the institute willcommunicate in due course.

We seek your support as we try to find the best answer to the issuesof how to cater to our responsibility to a significant legacy, the safety of those who utilize the buildingsas well as being in tune with the needs of the future."

Plaza on the IIM Ahmedabad Campus by Louis Kahn. (The Photography Club, IIM Ahmedabad/Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license)

View more images

Metalocus recommends

A slim sanctuary for modern times. Muraba Veil by RCR Arquitectes

House in Guardamar del Segura by Bernardo Cerrato. Photograph by Milena Villalba

Living around the patio. House in Guardamar del Segura by Bernardo Cerrato

Centre des Cultures et Spiritualités Ewés by Kéré Architecture. Rendering courtesy by Kéré Architecture

Center of Cultures and Spiritualities Ewés by Kéré Architecture

More information

LOUIS Isadore KAHN

Louis Isadore Kahn is born in Pernow – formerly in Russia, but now Pärnu in Estonia – on February 20, 1901 by the name of Leiser-itze Schmulowsky. In 1906, the family immigrates to Philadelphia. His father changes the family name to Kahn in 1915, when the family is awarded US citizenship. Kahn develops his artistic talents early on, and is able to draw beautifully from a young age.

In his early years, Kahn earns money playing the piano at neighbourhood theatres. He keeps this up during his university years, until he graduates in 1924 with a bronze medal for ‘superior excellence’ and starts working as an architect.

In 1928, he leaves on a trip to Europe. In the Netherlands, he learns about modern architecture, such as the functionalist design of Johannes Duiker's Sanatorium Zonnestraal in Hilversum. He also gets to see the architecture of Hendrik Berlage, Michel de Klerk and Willem Dudok.

Family life and work 1930 - 1955
Back in the US, Louis Kahn marries Esther Virginia Israeli, a research assistant in the field of neurology. Five years later, Kahn is awarded the title of architect and starts working from home on his own projects. In 1940, Esther gives birth to their first daughter, Sue Ann. In 1945, Kahn has an office with a few employees. Kahn develops a tough work ethic: he often only rests for a few hours, sometimes sleeping at the office to be able to continue working straight away.

In the office, Louis Kahn and architect Anne Tyng, who is nearly 20 years younger, become entangled in an affair. Because of his attitude towards work, Louis Kahn is often away from home, keeping the two worlds of family life and work strictly separate. In 1950, Kahn leaves on another extended trip to southern Europe and Egypt, where he draws ancient Roman and Egyptian treasures. Kahn describes the beauty of these structures in letters to Anne Tyng. In 1954, Anne Tyng gives birth to Kahn's second child: Alexandra.

International fame: 1955 - 1974
In 1958, Kahn is introduced to landscape-architect Harriet Pattison (born in 1928) at a party. A relationship develops between the architect and Pattison, resulting in the birth of Kahn's third child and only son, Nathaniel. One year later, Kahn attends the conference of a prominent group of international architects, who have come together in Otterloo, the Netherlands, under the name of Team X (Team Ten). This group includes Dutch architects Aldo van Eyck and Jaap Bakema.

In the 1960s and 70s, Kahn finally takes his place on the international stage with designs for government buildings, museums, laboratories, libraries, private homes and religious buildings. One high point is the government building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which is only completed in 1983, years after his death. In the last decade of his life, Kahn visits the Indian subcontinent no fewer than 40 times. On 17 March 1974, returning from one of these trips, Louis Kahn dies in a toilet at Penn Station in New York. For uncertain reasons, he had crossed out his name in his passport, as a result of which he can only be identified a few days later.

21st century: Kahn's legacy lives on
Years after Louis Kahn dies, his son Nathaniel sets out to investigate his father's legacy. His film ‘My Architect’ (2003) earns him an Oscar nomination.