a contemporary confluence of history, heritage and...

1 4 InsIte stORY RESTORATION AND ADAPTIVE RE-USE

India has a wealth of underutilised heritage buildings that provide unique and exciting opportunities to develop and revitalise. In the ensemble, industry virtuosos champion their vision of transforming and celebrating this restoration, conservation and adaptive re-use of

historic forts to dilapidated structures.

TIJARA: making our forgotten past a part of our future heritage– Aman Nath

The history of buildings that the human race has created over the years is one of constant change, structures have been built, used, added on to, preserved, left to ruin, willfully torn down with a vengeance or to rebuild.

‘Neemranification’, as we call the restoration and revitalisation of historic sites done our way, is only about the challenges. The last of our projects – the 19th century Tijara Fort-Palace complex is an unfinished marvel of three structures,

Aman Nath

A ContemporAry ConfluenCe of

history, heritage and interiors

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built in the Rajput-Afghan style with early colonial influences. At Tijara there existed – a Mardana Mahal for the Maharaja and his entourage, a Rani Mahal for the Maharani and her ladies of the Durbar, and a leisure palace on the edge of a plateau, overlooking a water body called the Hawa Mahal, Palace of winds, perched at the brink of a cliff.

The unintentional convertibility and fascinating progression of Tijara shows an interesting evolution over time. Set in the epoch of historic India, in 1835 CE Balwant Singh, born from a ‘common’ mistress, became through his mother’s sati’, from an illegitimate to a flamboyant and charismatic prince. He started the construction of a Fort-Palace after the name of his mother Moosi Maharani, as well as a grand Hawa Mahal. He was a lover of elephants and horses, it is believed, that in the absence of a road, the large double pillars of the Rani Mahal and the Mardana Mahal could only have been carried uphill by elephants. Famous architects and masons from Kabul and Delhi were engaged in its construction. Because of his premature death in 1845 CE – probably from murder, the construction remained incomplete and the complex was abandoned until now, when it was

leased to Neemrana Hotels to restore, complete and run it as a heritage hotel.

As the case with all Indian princely territories, Alwar, found by Rao Raja Pratap Singh at Machedi in the year 1775 CE had witnessed unprecedented changes in terms of the different periods beginning with the Rajput, the Lodi Dynasty, the Mughal Dynasty and finally the British Raj. Its landscape has therefore been significantly influenced by diverse cultural groups, which have in turn uniquely shaped the culture, its physical historical monuments and sites, architecture, and traditions.

In January 2016, Tijara opened for guests to enjoy its hanging gardens, which lead to its arcades with views of the palm oasis below. The suites and rooms of the Rani and Mardana Mahals are named after India’s leading artists, designers and aesthetes who have honoured the spaces with their work or aesthetic.

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1–3. Panoramic bird’s eye views of the tijara Fort Complex. Like many heritage buildings that are a part of the neemrana-bouquet, unique in their history, architecture, and built environment tijara best illustrates the scale and challenges of making adaptive reuse viable in the long run


The Brief, preservation within context Restoration or adaptive re-use of historic buildings into hotels is a colossal endeavour, and it requires specialised skills to be completed successfully. The self-brief that Neemrana gave itself was what I suppose anyone in the past too would have: to first ensure the security of the interior buildings by walling them in with befittingly high ramparts. There were no plans that existed, and the three buildings had no axis or connection – or even alignment. I imagined an axis from the largest building, the Mardana, and ran it through till it ended on the ramparts where the hill sloped sharply to the date-palm oasis below. The other two buildings which fell on either side of the axis, though not aligned or parallel to it, were then linked by a walkway of Mughal bricks acquired from Meerut and laid in a chevron pattern. A huge pit that fell in this way was made into a covered auditorium with hanging gardens above. One can hardly believe today what the original site was. However, fortunately, old photographs do exist, and comparisons can be made!

Sturdy Foundations

The buildings sit on the solid rock of the Aravallis, which date back some two billion years. So that was already a good start. However, the lifestyles and aspirations have moved far ahead since Tijara’s foundation was laid in 1835. Therefore, there were obstacles facing the implementation of re-use strategies. This naturally brought other challenges – a motorable road instead of an elephant/

horse path, kilometres of cables and pipes for air conditioning, wastewater treatment. The rather solid lime and mortar masonry of the past now became a great impediment to chaise the stone walls or to pierce the windows, so essential for the cross ventilation of air and for the splendid views. As if these challenges were not enough, the Government put an unrealistic deadline of three years to complete what no one had the courage to touch in six decades! Then, in typical License Raj fashion, this first tourism Public Private Partnership in Rajasthan began to demonstrate the worst aspects of our bureaucratic and political interventions or apathy. But that is another story, a whole set of ten volumes could be written – at which we can look back and cry – but optimists like us only know laughter.

The architectural idiom was Rajput-colonial as in many of Rajasthan’s buildings built in the British Raj. Each hotel project in the historic facility is specific and requires its own combination of compromise, creativity and inventiveness. However, there are key elements shared by every successful historical renovation, as well as a consistent set of appropriate measures, which should be applied in order to preserve architectural detail, craftsmanship – specific to the area and effectively link history with hospitality. Doors, windows, railings, furniture, could all be sourced or derived from what existed in the past. Today, it is hard to tell what was added to complete it. This is largely a tribute to our living

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4. Maharaja Balwant singh laid tijara’s foundation, on the solid rock of the Aravalli landscape, in 1835 Ce, the construction remained incomplete and the complex was abandoned till it was leased, to neemrana Hotels to restore, complete and run it as a heritage hotel. the result is a contemporary hotel juxtaposed with a kaleidoscopic narrative


traditions of building, as India is the only continuously alive civilisation. An Indian architect who has lived and worked in Norway made a fine observation.“The design approach adapted by the Neemrana team led by Aman Nath has been unique in its boldness and sensitive in its details. The basic decision was to use the hilly nature of the terrain to locate all the large-scale functions at such depths that they would not clutter the historic composition of the three historic buildings above the ground – Shyam Khandekar, March 2015.”

For me, this was not a conscious decision, but an intuitive choice. The cutting of the seven hanging gardens too is dictated more by the site than a design fetish to impose any of my style. There are no compartments about the process or research, really. Having been at it for 32 years continuously, it has become second nature. I do not separate the elements when I conceive the music of the past playing into the living rhythm of today.

Many of my architect friends have said for years that it was fortunate I didn’t study architecture! I was not boxed-in or taught

to walk along any dotted line. Perhaps they were right: for me, a building has the same boundless creative features as art. Nevertheless, because my realm is not new buildings which are noted today for their fantasist craziness and which become conversation pieces in their city – I enjoy extending the existing idiom. Interventions are essential when the time warp brings monuments into contemporary time and demands a changed end-use. I do not see alterations, new linkages for old wings for facilitating the easy movement of guests, services, food etcetera, like a floor plan from above. I have always seen architecture as a lived-in space. These virtual walk-throughs that architects and their rather competent assistants make for clients

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5–10. Concept sketches, restoration images and 3D visualisation of the tijara Fort Complex. there were no plans that existed, and the three buildings had no axis or connection – or even alignment. An imaginary axis was visualised from the largest building, the Mardana, running through till it ended on the ramparts, with the other two built forms asymmetrically balanced the around the axis. A huge pit that fell in the way was made into a covered auditorium with hanging gardens above


11 the interiors of tijara embody the concept of preserving the existing cultural ethos and architectural infrastructure of the place, at the same time integrating the technical and operational hospitality requirements of the modern age along with heightening of the visual and experiential fabric


12 the suites and rooms of the Rani and Mardana Mahals are named after India’s leading artists, designers and aesthetes who have honoured the spaces with their work or aesthetic. Adaptive re-use helps retain history and brings the cultural heritage of a people to its fore, at a time when creating a strong and memorable “experience” is one of the priorities of the industry


Aman Nath is a historian by education, but from an early age, he has painted, written poetry, practised graphic design and copywriting for several advertising campaigns. He is involved in the restoration of India’s unlisted architectural ruins, now run as the 24 Neemrana ‘non-hotel’ Hotels, which have won awards from UNESCO, the Indian and international travel trade industry and National Awards. He has co-written/authored fourteen illustrated books on art, history, architecture, corporate biography and photography, two of which have won National Awards. His book ‘Jaipur’ was the first Indian book chosen to be marketed internationally by Christie’s.

[email protected] www.neemranahotels.com

with more money than taste, or spatial understanding, is a very intuitive thing for me. I can almost walk through a labyrinth, then come out, and draw it! Even though I am a historian by education, I have a bad sense of time, so to say. I also see history spatially – in chunks.

Experiencing an architectural artefact

Tijara Fort-Palace is very majestically sited on an Aravalli outcrop that dominates the plains and hills that sit low on its skyline. The first glance from the road – over a swaying yellow crop of mustard in winter or wheat, cotton, millet – is itself a stunning invitation from history. Then, as the road leads to the foot of the hill, the fortifications and turrets loom larger and suddenly disappear. A narrow road girdles the hill and begins to wind and snake up. Three loops later, the new fortifications appear on the right. The car takes a hairpin bend to face two imposing gateways. These were never there, as Maharaja Balwant Singh had died while the construction had only gone on for 13 years. However, it is curious that when I marked where we would make our entrance, an earlier foundation appeared just below our digging.

The Fort, which had no road or entrance, now has two entrance gateways and one to exit. The lower entrance leads to the Hawa Mahal and the upper one to the residential quarters in the Mardana and

Rani Mahals. The architects of the past had possibly conceived only one central entrance, but then there were no cars, only a cavalcade of horses who could ride up a rough terrain. And no palanquins carry the lady guests to the Rani Mahal.

The great pleasure on arrival is to see the hanging gardens tapering down to the ramparts and the palm oasis in the valley beyond.

Within the walls of the Fort complex is an arresting array of open and closed spaces, using both modern and historic vocabularies. The overall effect is a warm, lavishly appointed feast for the eyes, rife with history and creative spirit and a lush interpretation of the Rajput-Mughal-Colonial pastiche of architectural history – a modern renaissance. The original complex has been restored and rendered in a harmonising colour palette, accommodating new functions reconnected to the old setting, complemented by additions such as the resplendent sunken pool. The result is a contemporary hotel juxtaposed with a kaleidoscopic narrative.

It is with the belief to embrace and honour the past and restore its grandeur, which Neemrana works. Guests feel the magic: they find a historic haven that combines the best of today’s amenities with the flavour and experience of history.•

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13. the architectural idiom was Rajput-Colonial as in many of Rajasthan’s buildings built in the British Raj. Doors, windows, railings, furniture, are sourced or derived from what existed in the past; therefore it is now hard to distinguish from the preserved architectural detail and artistry


The Vision: Rethinking architectural concepts in the context of heritage and tradition

The idea of creating a contemporary space in a heritage building has always appealed to me. I saw an opportunity for doing this in a unique fashion in the centre of Khadia through this project.

Very aware of the importance of sustainability, I had originally envisaged having as many rooms as could be accommodated in the four buildings that were available. Hence, we designed one contemporary glass and steel structure to contrast with the heritage structure in the front and separated by a small Courtyard in the middle. As work on the heritage structure progressed and my visit to the site increased, I felt that having an open space where the new structure was to be built, replacing the two dilapidated buildings that existed would be a much better alternative. (The two buildings had no heritage significance in any case). Hence, in conjunction with Sanal, I decided to put in a small garden and a small cafe in its place. The fourth was utilised for staff accommodation.

The addition of a new staircase and a lift shaft had already been taken and we decided to go with it despite having removed one building completely even though this structure was perhaps much bigger in scale for just one building.

For the interior and colour scheme, I wanted to use local materials only but a very contemporary design. Hence, we stuck to in-situ terrazzo, mosaic and lime plaster, recycled waste granite, metal and wood in straight lines and without ornamentation. Some furniture

was sourced from neighbouring Rajasthan and textiles have been chosen and sourced from the local shops. All the collateral that is required in the rooms, as well as fixtures, is all locally sourced or commissioned. There is great emphasis on greening and over 50 plant saplings, and the lawn, have been planted in the premises.

The restaurant will serve popular dishes from the old city as well as some contemporary continental dishes to suit modern tastes. In addition, the terrace, of course, has lovely views of the old city as well as serving as an attraction for kite flying and other events.

We are hoping to repair the entire public area with the help of MLA funds and make a proper entrance to the Pol. Just 200m street outside, namely Sankdi Sheri has been designated to become a

MAngAldAs HAvelI II The Residency @ Gangadhiya Ni Pol– Abhay Mangaldas & Sanal ThathapuzhaAbhay Mangaldas Sanal Thathapuzha

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1. night View of the vibrant south facade of the Haveli after restoration


Model Street in collaboration between INTACH and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Across from us is the Ahmedabad Heritage Centre, a revived and restored old property and in the neighbourhood is our own 250-year-old Haveli that is being converted into a house for rent.

– Abhay Mangaldas

The design journey towards realisation

We started our practice as a group of four architects working together on experimental installations, making furniture out of industrial and construction waste. When we were offered this project by Abhay, initially we were very sceptical about working on a conservation project. He asked us to make a visit to the place and then decide. We had been designing and making furniture out of recycled construction material and all of a sudden, we had a 250-year-old heritage property to be recycled into a heritage homestay. It was a totally different ball game. We dived into the project in full swing.

The project journey went through eight rigorous process based stages, over a period of 7 years:

Stage 01: Documentation & Damage Assessment

It all began with a comprehensive documentation followed up by damage assessment of the houses Abhay had purchased in Gangadhiya Ni Pol, which we first visited in October 2007. We took up the task of measuring up the houses at the properties bearing the survey numbers 887 and 885.

The 250-year-old building through its spaces and its construction details revealed itself to us as we started measuring and sketching out the plans and details. This was an intensive painstaking task, when one interacts with such intensity with a space it begins to creep into one’s subconscious till you get completely engulfed by the experience it offers through its architecture, such was our attachment to the fabric of Gangadhiya Ni Pol.

While measuring the property, we realised the extent of structural damage due to the earthquake and wear and tear caused due to the deterioration of timber structural members due to age and termite infestation. Followed by photographic documentation and visual survey of damages the report culminated to form an extensive damage assessment and documentation report in March 2008. This report was

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2. Interior images of the newly finished bedroom, majority of the fixtures and finishes have been locally sourced or commissioned

3. the internal courtyard with bench seating flanked by exposed brick jali juxtaposed to the existing architectural vocabulary

PROJeCT FACT FIle

Client: Abhay Mangaldas, Founder Director – House of Mangaldas, Ahmedabad

Architect: Sanal Thathapuzha

City Heritage Centre: Rajiv Patel and his team

Structural Design Consultants: Mehul Shah

Construction & Project Manager: Nikhil Vyas

HVAC Consultant: Mihir N Patel

Lighting Consultants: Antech Consultants

Plumbing Consultants: Ravi Engineering

Master Craftsmen: Jethabhai Solanki and Team

Chief Mason: Jeevanbhai Sumesara and team

Plumbers: Hiteshbhai & Vijaybhai

Electrical Team: Idrishbhai and Team


essential in setting our priorities before embarking on this project, which we all realised, was a daunting task. A large-scale renovation was the first thing to be planned along with working out a program for adaptive re-use.

Stage 02: Conservation & Adaptive Re-use

Beginning March 2008, guided by Abhay’s vision for a residency intended for researchers and travellers for experiencing the living heritage of the Pols of Ahmedabad, we started working on the program formulation for the project. A proposal for the conservation and adaptive re-use of the houses started emerging. The challenge was to integrate and configure the crafts studio, for neighbourhood artisans, the rooms for the home stay, services such as toilets, within the residential scale of the spaces, while retaining its character. We thought that we had more or less resolved layout and then we realised that two adjoining houses were to be incorporated as a part of the project.

Stage 03: Documentation Part II

By December 2010 the drawings were re-worked after incorporating the newly measured properties, survey number 884 (which currently houses the inner courtyard and the breakfast area) and 882 (currently is planned to house the staff quarters for the residency) to the existing set.

Stage 04: Conservation& Adaptive Reuse – Part02

We continued working on the adaptive re-use proposal all through January and February 2011, which now comprised of nine rooms, which would house a pantry supplemented by the kitchen at the Mangaldas Haveli at Lakha Patel Ni Pol, one of the first of the adaptive re-use projects also owned by the House of MG near Sankdi Sheri. It was proposed that there will be four suites in the old building (one per floor) and the new building will be in the adjoining rear plot

separated from the old building with a courtyard ground plus three floors with just one studio per floor, and a reception at the ground floor.

Stage 05: Architectural Detailing

By March 2011 details and conservation proposals for the west facade which was in a dilapidated state were being worked out. The proposal was conjectured after a series of studies conducted on similar facades in the immediate context and slowly the architectural and construction details started evolving.

Stage 06: Change in the Re-use Proposal – Part03

During the Monsoons of 2012 the two crumbling houses in the main building on the northern side collapsed on account of hollowed out timber structure due to infestation by termites and heavy structural steel retrofitting which was

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4. studio 72/3, Architects Ujjval Panchal, sejas Mistry, Parag Mistry & sanal thathapuzha took up the task of measuring up the houses at the properties bearing the survey numbers 887 and 885


Abhay Mangaldas, an entrepreneur, is a keen sports, design and technology enthusiast living and working from Ahmedabad. He is the Founder Director of The House of MG – a 38 room, full service urban heritage hotel that has become an iconic landmark of Ahmedabad. Home to the popularly rated Agashiye restaurant, The House of MG is today the largest private investor in heritage revitalisation in Ahmedabad with its assortment of properties. He is the Managing Trustee of Shreyas Foundation, Convenor of the INTACH, Ahemdabad Chapter and an Executive Committee Member of IHHA.

[email protected] www.houseofmg.com

Sanal Thathapuzha, an alumnus of the CEPT University, Ahmedabad is a practicing architect with more than ten years of experience in the field of architectural design, conservation, interiors and furniture design. He has also been a visiting faculty at CEPT University, NID & Institute of Architecture & Planning, Nirma University Ahmedabad.

[email protected] www. sanalthathapuzha.com

done as a remedy for settlement by the earlier occupants. A new building was proposed in place of the collapsed part with a court, which would separate the heritage and new insert. This challenging situation was an opportunity for an architectural expression that would clarify our approach to conservation and adaptive re-use.

Stage 07: 2014 Change in the Re-use Proposal – Part04

As the design and detailing new building started taking up a lot of our time and effort we tried to extrapolate as to how long would it eventually take us to build it up after going through approvals. In our case the municipal authorities themselves were unsure of what kind of by-laws applied to such a new intervention, thus this we decided against this after much deliberation. Instead, an open to sky court along the two-storeyed exterior walls of the new building and a single height covered pantry area was proposed next to the staircase and lift shaft to be

constructed in steel along with that of the lift and stairwell.

Stage 08: 2014 Execution

The design and planning of this project has been a very democratic and collaborative effort with all the stakeholders playing their part on an equal footing. An array of very talented, skilled and able consultants, organisations, craftsmen were engaged and involved in achieving this shared vision.•– Sanal Thathapuzha

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6–7. the façade showing the open to sky court along the two-storeyed exterior exposed brick walls of the new building and a single height covered pantry area proposed next to the steel staircase and lift shaft and the lush green terrace on the level above

8. 3D model of the design and detailing of the shading system evolved through careful research of facades in the immediate context


As an island city, Mumbai always had limited space for development and thus has real estate values that are among the highest in the world. As a result, there is an acute shortage of affordable housing. It is the vision of the eminent citizens like Khan Bahadur Muncherji Cowasji Murzbanthe, Founder Trustee of the GZRF (Garib Zarathostiona Rehthan Fund) Trust who envisioned the idea of community housing in the city.

The rental system of accommodation died a slow death in the 1970s with the advent of ownership accommodation and creation of co-operative societies as a result of which the affordable housing sector was badly hit and has not recovered till date. This intervention also changed the social dynamism of the housing stock of the city from ‘Community’ to ‘Class’ dominated.

The City Improvement Trust (CIT) was a body set up in the late 19th-

century to improve the city and they planned new by-laws and improvised the infrastructure of the city at par with what had happened in many leading cities of Europe. Affordable housing was also the main concern then and single room tenements with shared facilities like toilets called “chawls” were built by mill owners closer to their mills and also by private landlords, and as a part of government initiative too. The community trusts like GZRF were the first ones to introduce the concept of community housing in the late 19th-century in and around central Mumbai. This helped in meeting the housing needs of its time.

One of Mumbai’s major drawbacks for heritage has been its frozen rents since World War II. The Rent Control Act, which was introduced to protect the tenants from an astronomical increase in rents after the war has remained stagnant for nearly 70 years and has been

COnseRvATIOn OF COMMunITy HOusIng Cama Building at Murzban Colony in Mumbai– Vikas Dilawari

Vikas Dilawari

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detrimental to the health of the housing traditional fabric. Since tenants form the masses and become vote banks, we see no political will by any political party to alter it. These singularly contribute to neglect and ill-maintenance resulting in regular collapses during monsoon. This has forced the government to encourage re-development using private builders as the easiest solution, which is the present trend in the city but actually is doing more harm than good at the city level. To counter low rents and maintenance, the state government had started the “CESS” or repair fund of Rs 200/sq.ft. which is used to repair these tenanted residential buildings. As these cess repairs were not guided by the principles of conservation, its end-results are more damaging for example the structural wood used gets replaced with structural steel and is sold as salvage.

The basic reason that many of such century old tenanted buildings are

standing in the Mumbai inner city is that the Floor Space Index (FSI) consumed by them two decades ago was more than that which was permissible then. However, in the last decade or so the government rules for the re-development of such buildings in heritage precincts and Grade III buildings, called ‘Cessed properties’ are incentivized now to undergo re-development than repairs with higher FSI involving an external private developer.

The new co-operative societies that replace such old tenanted properties charge market rates for the maintenance which the original inhabitant cannot afford hence it is seen many original inhabitants leave these areas and shift further north of the city. The high prices of new flats increase the unaffordable housing stock in the city and also severely load the fragile infrastructure for parking, drainage and water supply.

Conservation philosophy

The conservation methodology adopted was:• TheConservationapproachwas

to be practical to the extent that we restore it to its original looks using like to like material wherever possible.

• Doingminimumintervention

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1–2. View of the Cama Building at Murzban Colony – conserved

3. Front (West) façade has wooden screen requiring a lot of repairs whereas east or rear façade required complete re plastering, new plumbing and extensive carpentry repairs for windows


regarding what was desirable and essential and this was done on two fronts to retain authenticity and also to make it economical.

• Theintentionwastoprovetotheresidents to love their premises with which they have sentimental bonding, and at the same time convince decision makers that it is economical and better to repair than reconstruct; to remove all insensitive accretions altering the cultural significance of the fabric.

• Encouragingthetraditionalskillsby using like to like material like woodwork

• Withrespecttotheinterioroftheflats, a matter of personal taste, we upgraded them using contemporary finish materials as per preference and needs of respective residents.

• Incorporatemoderndayneedsandfunctions without compromising on the heritage character of the structure

• Emphasiswastoeducateordinarycivil contractors in respecting heritage properties and introducing the concept of skilled repairs.

Work done

The various works undertaken to uplift

the buildings’ habitability and outward appearance are:• Completeexternalre-plasteringin

cement mortar and reintroducing the original stringcourses

• Completenewplumbing&drainage, streamlining all water connections.

• Completecarpentryrepairs–external and internal, strengthening of TW beams, posts, brackets, screens, drip moulds, fascia, etc.

• Completeflatterracewaterproofing• CompleteTiledRoofRepairs.• Completenewexternalpainting

and internal painting of common areas and flats that were refurbished

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4–5. Cama Building had become de linked with rest of the Murzban Colony due to the intervention of the high-rise with 3 level podium building dividing the Cama building from rest of Murzban Building


• Newconcretingandstonepavingofthe open space around.

• ComprehensiveAnti-Termiteandpest control treatment has been done to the building.

• Refurbishmentoftoiletsforafew tenants, whereas otherwise waterproofing of the wet areas were carried out.

As a practising conservation architect with more than 2.5 decades experience, I have seen the changing scenario of the city. I have realised that it is not the significant architecture of the yesteryears, which when conserved that brings the difference, but the so-called insignificant or ordinary architecture of yesteryears when conserved that does bring a meaningful impact on convincing the actual users to endorse conservation in the financially lucrative world of re-development.

The repairs and restoration of the Cama Building and ongoing maintenance of the Murzban Colony speak of a great gesture on the part of the trustees of the GZRF who, despite having the possibility for re-development, which is lucrative, financially opted for repairs with the help of a conservationist.

The project is a pointer to re-

Vikas Dilawari is a practising conservation architect with more than two and half decades of experience exclusively in the conservation field, ranging from urban to architecture. He has done his double Masters in Conservation from S.P.A. (New Delhi) and the University of York. He was the Head of Department of Conservation Department at KRVIA, a Trustee of IHCN and Co- Convener of INTACH Mumbai Chapter. He has lectured and written extensively on the subject of conservation nationally and internationally. Several of his projects have received national recognition including the UNESCO ASIA PACIFIC Awards for Cultural Preservation in SE Asia.

[email protected] www.vikasdilawari.in

development obsessed Mumbai that it only costs Rs. 607/sq.ft. to conserve a relatively poorly maintained building structurally and architecturally. Cama building and Murzban building are live examples for the city to emulate as these prove that quality of life is equally important than just catering to numbers or FSI figures. It is hoped that other community trusts and the government seek a lesson from these live pilot projects and brings forth legislation where repairs will be treated equally if not better than reconstruction.•

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6. the repaired and restored Cama building retains the life style and ensures social continuity

a contemporary confluence of history, heritage and...

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