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Browsing MASTERS by Author "Fariha Shahid"

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    Issues of Conservation & Adaptive Reuse of Abandoned Built Heritage: A Case study of Bradlaugh Hall, Lahore
    (UMT, Lahore, 2019) Fariha Shahid
    n 1947, with the advent of independent nations in the Indian subcontinent, substantial cultural properties fell into oblivion and eventual obliteration, ergo memory politics and conflicts of new identities. In Pakistan this infelicitous heritage with Hindus and Sikhs associations was undermined, violated and left to rot. Today these abandoned monuments survive lurking under the shadows of illegal land grabbers and delinquents. Occasionally visited by urban explorers and object of frequent elegy by liberal elites, their rehabilitation and activation holds opportunities for wider socio-economic and civic development. Through the case study of Bradlaugh Hall in Lahore, this research attempts to investigate the issues of conservation and prospects of rehabilitation of such forgotten cultural assets. A former public auditorium and a symbol of anti-colonial education movement, Bradlaugh Hall building has been currently locked down by the existing owners, ie., Evacuee Trust Properties Board of Pakistan (ETPB), to prevent vandalism and encroachments, despite being continuously exposed to natural dilapidation. Previously research asserts that the property needs to be sold to new owners or tenants, as the current ownership does not have the capacity and funding to implement any further rehabilitation scheme. (Malik, 2019) Through this research it was found that the best initial strategy is to lease the property to a public sector university in the neighborhood that would reuse it for academic as well as community outreach facilities for the neighborhood. It was found through interviews that the ‘sensitive heritage’ of Bradlaugh Hall should be reinterpreted through re- use for public education and awareness, especially targeting youth to promote innovation. As a faculty of a neighborhood arts institution along with a community outreach center for surrounding communities, the place would promote public education through its capacity building workshops, interactive digital library and innovative indoor and outdoor cultural events. The proposed use would ensure Bradlaugh Hall’s tangible as well as intangible heritage values, restore its historic sense of place while responding to the community needs. The research proposes a three-pronged approach that ensures sustainability through socio-economic, physical and infrastructure redevelopment in three phases. It would initially involve resolution of ownership and management issues, removal of encroachments from historic structures, and conservation of the main building. Secondly, flexible interior interventions and eco-friendly retrofitting for reuse along with restoration of other historic structure on site to house for allied facilities would be required. Later, the site needs to be restored to its original character to provide a public park and a gathering space. Through its action plan, this research proposes a holistic and sustainable model for rehabilitation of similar abandoned heritage buildings in Lahore.