Q. What were your immediate challenges when you took up this project?
A. When I first started working on it, it was a Herculean task as it is one of the most opulent buildings in the city but was completely rundown and lacked good maintenance. It had structural problems, which we realised as the work started. To find craftsmen to attend such rich and varied finishes was a worry. The most concerning factor was the funding.

Esplanade House on Waudby Road, post restoration, in 2013. PICS COURTESY/VIKAS DILAWARI

Q. Restoration took a decade long. So, how were you able to ensure that work went according to plan?
A. It took a total of 10 years, or 3,650 days. The first year went in making its fabric status report, surveying the building, referring archival information, etc. Then, the work happened in three phases with different contractors and structural engineers. The first was experimental work on the east façade or the rear façade, which went on for a year. This was followed by external façade repairs works on north façade along with the interiors of the owners’ office i.e. RD Sethna Scholarship Fund; this progressed slowly and steadily, depending upon availability of funds. This was followed by repair to the rear annexe, which was in poor condition , structurally and required urgent waterproofing. The last phase, which went on two years, included the remaining façades of the building, the common areas and services and the landscape.