The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) on Wednesday made a clarion call to its alumni and corporate groups to pour in financial support for the conservation and restoration of its iconic heritage campus here.

The premiere institute has undertaken a massive restoration of its old campus, which was designed by renowned American architect Louis Kahn about five decades ago. Over the years, the building has survived several weather extremities such as the 2001 earthquake, which has necessitated massive restoration.

In 2014, the institution had asked its board members to come forward and donate for the renovation and conservation of the building. The move came after the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) recognised the conservation and restoration of the Louis Kahn Campus as a task for "protection of national heritage, art and culture, including restoration of sights of historical importance as well as promoting education" making it eligible under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spend as required under the Companies Act 2013.

For the first time in its history, IIMA has invited its alumni and corporates to become part of the heritage campus by contributing to its conservation and restoration.

Susan Macdonald, Head – Buildings and Sites, the Getty Conservation Institute added, “After some 50 years, Louis Kahn's magnificent IIM complex still has the ability to inspire and move the human spirit. Inevitably, it is now suffering many of the conservation challenges typical of many great architectural works of the modern era. It is to be commended that IIM has commenced a careful and thorough programme of work that seeks to understand these challenges and develop conservation approaches to sustain Kahn's great work over the next 50 years.”

“The strong commitment of IIMA alumni to the institute will enable us to pursue excellence in teaching, research, and infrastructure and educate future generations of leaders,” said Ashish Nanda, Director IIMA.

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