The IIM-A campus buildings are an architectural glory, a masterpiece. They are monuments to human creativity and awe-inspiring due to their form, aesthetics, elegance and understated grandeur. They relate with everyone who sees, stays or works there with a soothing message of harmony, peace, equality, inspiration and quiet efficiency. It has been decided to re-examine the structural, functional and aesthetic viability and workability of the repaired, retrofitted and strengthened dorms with a view to ascertain if they could be retained to play their functional role properly, without in any way compromising the safety and well-being of students. This has been tried out in the 15th dorm and the help and guidance of local and international agencies, professionals and experts has been sought. I would suggest inviting local ‘experts’ who are conversant with local conditions, to help. The fact remains that the problems these buildings face pertain to the building materials, especially the quality of bricks; their use in the exposed masonry work; construction joints; lack of protection that such exposed brickwork demands in Ahmedabad’s weather conditions; quality of construction and the RCC beams and slabs. In the final analysis the problems are: leaking roofs, cracking walls, disintegrating bricks, water seepage during the monsoons, falling concrete and opening joints. My point is simple. If allopathy is not working at least try homeopathy and Ayurveda before leaving the patient to suffer or die. There is no dearth of experts who may be consulted in this regard. We have ‘foreign-returned’ engineers and architects, many of whom were involved in the retrofitting and earthquake-proofing of old masonry structures following the earthquakes in Kutch and even Indonesia (the one which caused the fatal tsunami). They would have a deep understanding not only of the materials, but of the construction and structural behaviour of buildings. Many of them would have also trained large numbers of masons and constructed hundreds of buildings with not only exposed bricks but even exposed structures with unburnt soil cement blocks. I’m certain they would be willing to assist in examining these buildings and offering their solutions. Though it is understood that IIMA management will do all in its power to avoid it, in case it becomes necessary to redesign and reconstruct a part of the campus – an exploratory design exercise has already been done through a reputed local architect – it will be required to be done with the utmost sensitivity, creativity and a high degree of skill. It is understandable that global talent will be sought or tenders floated or bids invited. The suggestion here is to avoid the exclusionary conditions that ensure access to the privileged big names in the business. The job on hand needs a professional who is equipped and willing to study as a researcher, and work on the interpretation of someone’s design creation as a student, as it were. This is one assignment that will require getting in the skin of the original designer and only a person who has humility, a willingness to learn, an ability to analyse and interpret, no ‘isms’ to perpetrate and no baggage to carry, can do it.
