An icon in distress. Petition to save Charles Correa's Kala Academy from demoliton
11/08/2019.
[Panaji - Goa] India
metalocus, ÁNGEL TORNE
metalocus, ÁNGEL TORNE
The Charles Correa Foundation has launched petition to save Kala Academy designed by Charles Correa from demolition by the State Government in India. The Kala Academy was Charles Correa's first building in his native state of Goa.
Located in a site along the Mandovi River in Panaji, the capital Goa, the building is one of the most important cultural buildings of Goa, the most vibrant and equitable public building of its kind in India. Built in 1983, this centre for the performing arts provides a number of facilities including a 1000 seat auditorium, a 200 seat open-air amphitheatre, and a special "black box" for experimental productions.
Located in a site along the Mandovi River in Panaji, the capital Goa, the building is one of the most important cultural buildings of Goa, the most vibrant and equitable public building of its kind in India. Built in 1983, this centre for the performing arts provides a number of facilities including a 1000 seat auditorium, a 200 seat open-air amphitheatre, and a special "black box" for experimental productions.
Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
Main level plan. Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
Upper level plan. Main level plan. Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
Auditorium section. Upper level plan. Main level plan. Kala Academy by Charles Correa. Images courtesy of Charles Correa Associates (Architects/Planners) and courtesy Charles Correa Foundation.
The only government-run arts institution in the country with separate faculties for both Western and Indian classical music, offering courses in theatre and dance. Now, since the building has structural problems, the local government has decided to tear down the building.
Launching a petition this month, the Foundation request from the government to assign an experienced consultant to undertake the repairs to the structure so that the building can be used again.
The Kala Academy was originally started in 1973 but was only completed ten years later. The three-storey building’s main feature is the large pergola above the entrance, which acts as an extension to the foyer of the main auditorium and amphitheater. The entrance space acts as a funnel to the building from the Campal (one of the major tree-lined avenues of the city) towards the casuarina trees along the water.
Launching a petition this month, the Foundation request from the government to assign an experienced consultant to undertake the repairs to the structure so that the building can be used again.
The Kala Academy was originally started in 1973 but was only completed ten years later. The three-storey building’s main feature is the large pergola above the entrance, which acts as an extension to the foyer of the main auditorium and amphitheater. The entrance space acts as a funnel to the building from the Campal (one of the major tree-lined avenues of the city) towards the casuarina trees along the water.
"It has been host to Konkani tiatrs, drama, film screenings and music competitions across all genres and languages; there are exhibitions and book fairs in the foyer and the art gallery. We hold Z-Axis, our biennial conference on architecture here. It’s really a much-used venue for a diverse set of programs," said the Foundation.
The court has already stepped in and there will be a hearing next week about the building. The petition has now reached over 12,580 signatures, which target to collect 15,000 signatures in total.
You can sign the petition to save the Kala Academy here.
More information
Charles Mark Correa
Charles Mark Correa (1 September 1930, in Secunderabad, – 16 June 2015, in Mumbai, India) was an Indian architect and urban planner. Credited for the creation of modern architecture in post-Independent India, he was celebrated for his sensitivity to the needs of the urban poor and for his use of traditional methods and materials.
Correa began his higher studies at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai at the University of Bombay (now Mumbai) went on to study at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (1949–53) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (1953–55). In 1958 he established his own Bombay-based professional practice.
There are two characteristics in the Correa practice; its projects were influenced by Le Corbusier’s work and the importance of the site was a constant in his work’s approach. His first important project was "Mahatma Gandhi Sangrahalaya" (Mahatma Gandhi Memorial) at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad (1958–1963), then in 1967 he designed the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly in Bhopal. He also designed significant buildings as National Crafts Museum, New Delhi (1975–1990), Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal (1982), Jawahar Kala Kendra (Jawahar Arts Centre), in Jaipur, Rajasthan (1986–1992), British Council, Delhi, (1987–92) the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Boston (2000–2005), City Centre (Salt Lake City, Kolkata) in Kolkata (2004) and the Champalimaud Centre for The Unknown in Lisbon, Portugal (2007–2010). He also designed the research and development facility of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (Mahindra Research Valley) at Chennai, which is the epicentre of various R&D networks of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
From 1970–75, he was Chief Architect for New Bombay (Navi Mumbai), an urban growth center of 2 million people across the harbour from the existing city of Mumbai, here along with Shirish Patel and Pravina Mehta he was involved in extensive urban planning of the new city. In 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi appointed him Chairman of the National Commission on Urbanization.
In 1984, he founded the Urban Design Research Institute in Bombay, dedicated to the protection of the built environment and improvement of urban communities. During the final four decades of his life, Correa done pioneering work in urban issues and low-cost shelter in the Third World. From 2005 until his 2008 resignation Correa was the Chairman of the Delhi Urban Arts Commission.
On 18 December 2011, the eve of the Golden Jubiliee of Liberation of Goa, Correa was bestowed with Goa's highest civilian honour, the Gomant Vibhushan.
Correa began his higher studies at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai at the University of Bombay (now Mumbai) went on to study at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (1949–53) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (1953–55). In 1958 he established his own Bombay-based professional practice.
There are two characteristics in the Correa practice; its projects were influenced by Le Corbusier’s work and the importance of the site was a constant in his work’s approach. His first important project was "Mahatma Gandhi Sangrahalaya" (Mahatma Gandhi Memorial) at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad (1958–1963), then in 1967 he designed the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly in Bhopal. He also designed significant buildings as National Crafts Museum, New Delhi (1975–1990), Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal (1982), Jawahar Kala Kendra (Jawahar Arts Centre), in Jaipur, Rajasthan (1986–1992), British Council, Delhi, (1987–92) the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Boston (2000–2005), City Centre (Salt Lake City, Kolkata) in Kolkata (2004) and the Champalimaud Centre for The Unknown in Lisbon, Portugal (2007–2010). He also designed the research and development facility of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (Mahindra Research Valley) at Chennai, which is the epicentre of various R&D networks of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
From 1970–75, he was Chief Architect for New Bombay (Navi Mumbai), an urban growth center of 2 million people across the harbour from the existing city of Mumbai, here along with Shirish Patel and Pravina Mehta he was involved in extensive urban planning of the new city. In 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi appointed him Chairman of the National Commission on Urbanization.
In 1984, he founded the Urban Design Research Institute in Bombay, dedicated to the protection of the built environment and improvement of urban communities. During the final four decades of his life, Correa done pioneering work in urban issues and low-cost shelter in the Third World. From 2005 until his 2008 resignation Correa was the Chairman of the Delhi Urban Arts Commission.
On 18 December 2011, the eve of the Golden Jubiliee of Liberation of Goa, Correa was bestowed with Goa's highest civilian honour, the Gomant Vibhushan.
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