Restore and keep

An architect discusses the need to restore buildings.

Empty buildings make me extremely sad", says Brinda Somaiya, founder of the Mumbai-based architectural firm, Somaiya and Kalappa. It is precisely this feeling which has seen Somaiya getting into restoration of buildings actively.

Be it the old mills in Mumbai or schools which need to be revamped, Somaiya has always found it challenging to give structures a new look.

Somaiya, whose architectural journey started around 30 years ago, says she was interested in being an archaeologist and not an architect. "My mother quipped, 'how long will you keep on digging'."

Her career began as an architect almost 35 years ago and in all these professional years, Somaiya has designed and worked on numerous projects. Personally, she admits that working on people-centric buildings give her the maximum satisfaction in creative terms. "When I go back to buildings and see all the hustle-bustle, it makes me really happy," she says.

The rehabilitation of a village near Bhuj which was destroyed in the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, for instance, is a project that remains closest to her heart. Nearly all the old houses, which constituted 75 per cent of the village collapsed or developed major cracks. "The challenge was to bring cheer and colour and the sense of identity back into their homes," she says.

Another work that she speaks fondly of is the Nalanda International School in Baroda where the architect made use of natural materials. Somaiya gave the school a new look with exposed brick and natural mortar and worked on improving the courtyard and verandas. She even added a bell-tower in the middle of the school to give it a more natural look.

There is no particular style which Somaiya likes to follow and would not like to be typecast as someone who uses any one particular style or lighting.

"I like to use natural materials like brick and not to use too much steel but then each building has its own requirement," she says. "Concrete materials," she adds, "are sometimes a necessity in construction of modern buildings.

Before undertaking any project Somiaya keeps it in mind the people who would eventually use the buildings. "It's extremely important to create a space where people would want to come in. They shouldn't come to a building, sigh, brood and say, 'not again'."

If it's an IT campus, Somaiya stresses on landscaping or designs a special area where people can relax. "It's not necessary to have a specially constructed area but it could be a tree or a courtyard where people can destress," she explains.

Architecture for Somaiya is not just about constructing new buildings but to conserve it as well. And conservation for her doesn't stop only at heritage sites. Mumbai, she feels, has many old colonial buildings that need to be restored.

Though her range of work is diverse and ranges from residential to IT campuses to hotels, it is conservation part of architecture which she enjoys doing the most. "It is quite challenging to restore or conserve a building which others might consider dead."

Somaiya works with global architecture firms on various projects and has a firm view that with times one needs to adapt and change. At first she was not too keen on the use of technology in architecture but it was only with time that she realised that modern buildings needed use of modern techniques. More importantly, she felt that as an architect, she needed to adopt technology for her projects too.

Now Somaya is working on her biggest project. It is the sprawling TCS campus in Mumbai's Andheri area. Other projects include educational institutes in Nagpur, Pune and IT campuses in Nasik and Hyderabad.

Does she believe that there is a dearth of "good" architects in the country? "No, there are architects doing extremely good work. It is a demanding profession so many move into teaching too," she adds.

Her philosophy is simple. The new and the old need to co-exist together to give cities a new look. She doesn't appreciate the idea of cities becoming concrete jungles. "Like each building, even cities have their unique standing and that is something which you can't change," she feels.

According to her, people might want to create modern cities with skyscrapers forcing cities to lose their identities. "It is important to be modern in your outlook but we need to definitely retain the old charm of our surroundings," she says.