HD4010

Faculty: Sonal Mithal | Shreyank Khemalapure

“Maintenance has taken on new resonance as a theoretical framework, an ethos, a methodology, and a political cause.”—Shannon Mattern

The studio focuses on conservation of modern historic housing projects in Indian cities, built between mid 1900s to late 1900s. Take for example the CIDCO Housing by Raj Rewal in Navi Mumbai, and some experimental housing done for DDA. The studio will look at either state provided housing and / or privately owned projects and will offer conservation strategies based on the nuances of ownership patterns, materiality of the project, aspirations of inhabitants, to help define the relevance of the project for the city today. Conservation pedagogy has typically restricted its focus on monumental buildings. This studio acknowledges the expanded capacity of conservation to treat everyday structures for longevity, safety of inhabitation, and adaptation to contemporary aspirations as an economical and ecological act.