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Website developed and maintained by IIMA Archives under the guidance of Vikram Sarabhai Library, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
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On November 11, 2022 seven-year-old Aakash Chakrabarti, a campus resident, visited 'Not Yet 25', an exhibition of photos of IIMA by the renowned photographer Pranlal Patel. When asked which photo appealed to him the most, he picked one out immediately. That photo, of the models that Louis Kahn got made, is this month's showpiece (see attached photo). The caption had a piece of advice: 'Note the children all over the place!' Perhaps that explains the appeal of this photo. What is the story told by this picture? Work on the IIMA campus started on September 9, 1964, and over the next few months some preliminary work was carried out on three dorms (3, 9 and 15) and four houses. Louis Kahn, during a visit in December that year, was not happy with the dorm brick work and suggested that the initial work be dismantled. He felt that the work on the houses could be salvaged. The committee in charge of building the campus then decided, on December 17, 1964, that samples of work that followed Kahn's instructions closely would be prepared within a week, for his approval. It also decided that "all the subsequent work carried out by the Contractors [Gannon Dunkerley & Co.] would be done according to the samples duly approved by Prof. Kahn." On December 25, 1964, Kahn approved the samples of arches, wall segments, brick-lining and other brick-related work carried out on this 'demonstration' plot. One more issue needed attention. Kahn had wanted 3/4 inch mortar joints (space between bricks) with the Flemish bond-a pattern of brick-laying in which the 'headers' and 'stretchers', the short and long sides, are placed alternately in each layer, and which dominates the campus. The contractors felt that the additional cement and sand needed, and the higher labour involved in the precision work called for would add significantly to the costs. They were told to prepare samples with half-inch mortar beds immediately. This was done and the next day, December 26, Kahn approved the use of the Flemish bond with half-inch mortar joints. We attach some recent pictures of these features. Do visit these models that served as reference points for the masons working on the rest of Kahn's buildings. They are in a corner of a large lawn, behind faculty houses 310 to 314. |
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2022-23 @ All Rights Reserved.
Website developed and maintained by IIMA Archives under the guidance of Vikram Sarabhai Library, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad