In a bid to restore Rashtrapati Bhawan and send a strong message about the importance of preserving and protecting the country’s glorious heritage, an ambitious conservation plan is in the offing. The Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, has conducted a 3D laser scan for conservation of this 88-year-old building and is expected to submit it to the Rashtrapati Bhawan secretariat by April 30.
Based on the 3D laser scan survey report, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) will prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for its restoration. A team of over 40 experts in the field of conservation, urban design, landscape, disaster management, infrastructure, and services sectors, among others has been engaged for preparing the report.
Top sources told The Pioneer that the DPR on the conservation plan will strictly follow architect Edwin lutyens’ original plan.
“The DPR will highlight damages and cracks in Rashtrapati Bhawan in the past 88 years. It will also explain the cost of conservation. It will further stress the importance and need for continuous maintenance to conserve the heritage characteristics of Rashtrapati Bhawan precincts,” said officials.
For the uninitiated, 3D laser scanning is a way to capture a physical object’s exact size and shape into a computer as a digital 3-dimensional representation. 3D laser scanners measure fine details and capture free-form shapes to quickly generate highly accurate point clouds.
A point cloud is a set of data points in a three-dimensional coordinate system. These points are usually defined by X, Y, and Z coordinates, and often are intended to represent the external surface of an object.
Sources said that the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) would execute the plan under supervision of INTACH. The CPWD looks after the Rashtrapati Bhawan development projects. However, the function and other programmes hosted by Rashtrapati Bhawan would not be affected during conservation.
The Comprehensive Master Plan for Conservation of Rashtrapati Bhawan was finalised in 2014. It is divided in two parts. The first part will focus on the President’s Estate and Phase II will address the issues related to the main Rashtrapati Bhawan building.
Officials of INTACH said on the condition of anonymity, “The red and ochre sandstone, and the spacious rooms and halls of Rashtrapati Bhawan on Raisina Hill have withstood the vagaries of time for the past 88 years, but not without a fair bit of wear and tear. To help the palace retain its glory in years to come, it needs a proper conservation plan.”
The status of Rashtrapati Bhawan as a Grade 1 heritage building defines the limits of intervention to conserve the building and the site. It also accommodates the highest office of the Government, including the residence of the President. This makes it a ‘living heritage’ building which creates genuine needs to cater to its efficient functioning.
Built in 1929, the four-storey Rashtrapati Bhawan has 340 rooms spread over a floor area of 2,00,000 square feet or 350 acres of land and the building itself covers an area of five acres.
Hardly any steel has gone into its construction, while 700 million bricks and three million cubic feet of stone were used. It took eight years, from 1921 to 1929, to build the 340 room red sandstone palace.
The Chief Engineer, Hugh Keeling and many Indian contractors were also part of its design and construction. The total cost of building this marvelous piece of architecture was of 877,136 Pounds (Rs. 14 million).
The facade of Rashtrapati Bhawan with a massive colonnade at the top of a flight of long and broad alabaster stairs, overlooking the forecourt, where parades are drawn up on important occasions, makes an impressive sight. The building contains 11/2 miles of corridors, 340 rooms of which 63 are living rooms, 227 columns, 35 loggias and 37 fountains including the roof fountains.