Structural repairs of one of world's only two cast-iron buildings will cost Rs 23 crore and full restoration Rs 98 crore
Two separate reports on the building's restoration were submitted to the high court on Monday. File pic
The 155-year-old Esplanade Mansion can be restored to its full glory. That's what two reports filed by a high court-appointed panel states. Based on them, the findings of which are contrary to IIT-Bombay's structural audit, conservation architects Abha Lambah and Pankaj Joshi have estimated a cost of Rs 98 crore.
While MHADA has argued since May last year that the cost of restoring the building was too high, in the 'Building Condition Report' Lambah and Joshi stated, "The economic per square foot rate as decided by MHADA cannot be the sole consideration for deciding the future of such a historic building." In their report, the estimated cost includes repair and restoration of the cast iron portions and the superstructure as well. They have recommended that for the restoration work a special purpose vehicle (a government-appointed committee) must be formed, which will arrange funds for the building's long-term maintenance.
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The report has also pointed out that Esplanade Mansion is a part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is "compelling enough a reason to save this building." In the report, Lambah and Joshi said, "We, as conservation professionals, strongly believe that it is both necessary and possible to restore this historic building, given its immense architectural and historic importance. We find that there is sufficient potential to repair, restore and protect this culturally significant building."
The report has documented the damage to the structure that was primarily caused due to ad-hoc additions of lofts, staircases and mezzanine floors, which resulted in overloading. Unregulated plumbing services led to leakages and water seepage, which caused severe corrosion to the cast iron members within the building.
IIT-B report critisised
They have also criticised the IIT-Bombay's structural audit report and stated that it "does not give any importance to the said building's architectural, technological, cultural, social, historical and biographical significance" and added that it needs to be reconsidered. The report also mentions that if public funds were used for the repairs then the building could be made accessible to the public. "This building, with over 90,000 square feet of usable space after restoration, can offer the city's Kala Ghoda area a realm of opportunities for adaptive reuse as a public space," the report says.
Raikar's report, however, has only assessed the building's structural stability and has not focused on the architectural aspects of restoration. He stated that the architectural usage of the structure was unknown.
Structure strengthening
"The recommendations in the report refer to strengthening the structure to the latest Indian standards of earthquake safety. It can be concluded that if Esplanade Mansion is repaired in accordance to the suggestions of this report, it can serve for a future service life of 50 years with periodic maintenance," he said. However, his estimate of R23.4 crore does not include aspects like electrification, plumbing, air-conditioning, painting or adding doors or windows.
He further said that due to the excessive load, there is a lot of structural distress of the cast iron brackets. He added that the entire structure would be opened up and after the unwanted load is removed, all the parts would have to be treated for corrosion and then strengthened. In his report, Raikar has included results of several non-destructive tests, which includes chemical and microscopic analysis of cast iron used to construct the building.
All three experts have mentioned the damage to the balconies, a key feature of the Grade II A heritage structure. While Lambah and Joshi have referred to the floor slab of balconies that have partially or completely collapsed, Raikar stated that the balconies had "outlived their serviceable lives" and would have to be completely reconstructed.
The division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and BP Colabawalla took the reports on record and scheduled a discussion on them for February 3.
Feb 3
Day the reports will be discussed
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