The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) is a Heritage Grade I structure. The campus consists of Tata Hall, Nizam’s House and Press building. The Press building was built in 1933, used for storage of manuscripts & their printed volumes of Ramayana & Mahabharata.
BORI doesn’t have any permanent source of income commercially, but they have premises in the heart of city, prime locality, ample parking space availability, so the idea came up for adaptable reuse of press building- Heritage Auditorium with state of art facilities which will be living asset to citizens of city of Pune and it will not restrict only to preservation & conservation.
Constraints of existing structure were positively used as per owners brief within the heritage guidelines. Restoration of the 87 year old structure was done by strengthening the existing truss with additional load for the Hvac duct. Existing structure had same floor level. Tiered seating efficiently added for the auditorium with sound control at mezzanine level and AHU room above the green room to accommodate the new use without any compromise.
The design process involved local craftsmen to create paintings on canvas which are inspired from the collection of manuscripts available at the BORI. These manuscripts are from the 16th and 17th century. It reflects the institute’s identity, individuality and rich heritage. Artisans are involved with expertise in traditional stone masonry techniques and timber roof construction. The project is unique and all citizens of the city are utilizing this space beautifully as a heritage auditorium.
All the information about how to enter the 2020 WAN Awards is here.
We are very happy to offer support so please don’t hesitate to email Georgia, WAN Awards Event Coordinator with any questions at Georgia.Baily@haymarket.com.
Last year more than 40 countries took part in the WAN Awards with strong showings from Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. And we saw some truly outstanding projects, take a look at the winners from last year here.