Laura Pruvost

CR4004

Modern buildings in Ahmedabad, and more generally in India, find themselves abandoned or rarely visited, and sometimes even threatened by destruction. In this Master’s studio in Conservation, it was interesting to reflect on the different ways of conserving this building, while at the same time reactivating it, by trying to make people engage with it. The consideration behind this proposed intervention began with the reading of various texts and the writing of an essay. Then we produced urban maps to validate or invalidate our initial programmatic hypotheses, which we wanted to add to the building. Condition mapping gave us an idea of the current state of the building and the work that needed to be done. As Tagore Hall had recently undergone renovation, the general condition of the building was good, as was its structural integrity. Then, fed by all this exploration, the design of partial interventions in or around the building begins. New program is implemented with a social and cultural center, combined with a library. The idea in this project is to reveal the basement and create a continuity with its level and new plaza all around Tagore Hall. As an exchange student at CEPT, it was interesting for me to see what conservation issues are at stake in India and in particular what role an architect can play in the maintain of modernist building. Exploring different media and formats was also enriching for me.