Maharana of Mewar Charitable
Foundation, Udaipur and TVB School of Habitat Studies, New Delhi
organised a Conservation Workshop on'STRUCTURAL STABILIZATION AND SITE
CONSERVATION'
July 25-29, 2006 at The City Palace Complex, Udaipur
The City Palace Complex, Udaipur is one of the most unique architectural
complexes in India. The scale and grandeur of this site, meandering over
vast expanses along the lake edge provide a magnificent setting for
historical, artistic, architectural and aesthetic understanding. Over
the years, the historic fabric of the City Palace has been subjected to
the forces of time and nature, consequently showing signs of weathering,
damage and deterioration. These stresses are visible on the natural and
built-up structure and therefore, need to be studied, analyzed and
checked for any probable threats to the structural stability and
architectural integrity of the Palace and its environs.
In order to prevent further damage and deterioration to the Palace and
its surroundings, a comprehensive conservation project has been
undertaken by the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation, Udaipur (MMCF).
Due to the vast scope of this project, the MMCF sought collaboration and
funding from other national and international organizations.
To facilitate in this process, the Getty Foundation of Los Angeles, US,
has approved a project planning grant for the preparation of a
comprehensive Master Conservation Plan of the City Palace Complex, in
conformation with international cultural resource management guidelines.
It has been proposed as a part of this planning process to organize
training programmes and capacity building workshops for architecture/
conservation students and professionals. The workshop titled 'Structural
Stabilization and Site Conservation' is the second in this series of
workshops.
TVB School of Habitat Studies, New Delhi planned this specialized
workshop on architectural and structural aspects specifically related to
the on-going conservation process in The City Palace Complex. The aim of
the workshop was to induct the students of architecture into a wider
understanding of heritage conservation by providing a learning
environment where theoretical issues and practical challenges are
discussed and debated. A conservation work site like the City Palace
complex provides the most appropriate location for such a workshop, for
it is here that conservation practices can be observed and recorded in
real time; and conservation principles comprehended whilst being
formulated and applied to the conservation process.
This project brought together eminent conservationists, experts,
academicians, and selected students to a common forum for discussions,
deliberations and sharing experiences.
The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. Trilok Sharma, Secretary, MMCF on
July 25, 2006 where he gave an
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Participants, Speakers and the Coordinators of the workshop |
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about MMCF and its activities. This was followed by a brief
introduction to the overall conservation project by Dr. Shikha
Jain, Director DRONAH, Gurgaon. On the same day, Prof. A G K Menon, an eminent conservationist and Director, TVB School of Habitat Studies, Delhi delivered the key note address on the Charter for the Conservation of Unprotected Architectural Heritage and Sites in India. Over the past two decades he has undertaken several research and conservation projects for INTACH (Indian National Trust for the Art and Cultural Heritage). Prof. Menon was also the principal author of the Charter which was later adopted by INTACH at its National Convention on November 4, 2004. The second day of the workshop (July 26, 2006) started with a guided tour of the City Palace Museum by Th. B S Auwa. This was followed by a special lecture on 'Planning, Structure and Architectural Form' by Dr. Shikha Jain. She highlighted the various formal and functional aspects of the City Palace Complex. On the third day of the workshop (July 27, 2006) there were two lectures by Ms. Peu Banerjee and Mr. Navin Piplani, from TVB School of Habitat Studies, Delhi. Ms. Banerjee is an expert on structural systems and Mr. Piplani talked about the architectural conservation of Taj Mahal and Agra. During the balance of the workshop, the students worked on Nakkar Khana-ki-Chatri and Gadiyal-ki-Chatri. The focus behind the site work was to document and analyze the issues related architectural conservation of the specific areas in the City Palace Complex. Prof. KB Jain, associated with Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad shared his views on the issues and challenges of sustainable post-conservation life of heritage structures. The workshop closing ceremony took place on July 28, 2006 with the distribution of certificates and mementos to all the participants. This was followed by a vote of thanks from Mr. Trilok Sharma The final day of the workshop i.e. July 29, 2006 was kept free for the participants to be at leisure and explore the city of Udaipur. |
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