ADRG

As part of a recent measured drawing and documentation project in the UNESCO world heritage site of the old city of Ahmedabad we briefly documented this heritage structure, which we recently learnt was demolished.

The newspaper report and our interactions on site clearly established it was a grade 2B listed heritage structure. Listing a heritage building and the making of an inventory is the first step in conservation practice. Most often it is met with resistance from the residents because of the added set of permissions required for repairs, additions etc and the heritage cess that is applied in addition to municipal taxes.

The built structures in the old city of Ahmedabad are made of stone and timber. Maintainenace of these materials in the present day exerts a financial pressure that makes it more viable to be replaced with tiles and concrete.

This demolition raises some key concerns. If the state is the custodian of the urban fabric what proactive steps have they taken in its maintenance? What new models of conservation can we reimagine that make people central to the process?

While we wait, enjoying the recently completed interiors in Thane. Done everything from transforming old furniture into new objects of use, to spatial re-organization and securing possibilities of future modifications.