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“...heritage buildings damaged by earthquakes in the wake of damage to Kathmandu’s Dharhara tower in the 2015 Nepal earthquake, through case studies of six selected historical buildings in Patna that were damaged by earthquake(s) and were subsequently repaired and/or restored. Based on the case studies, it was found that (1) the very features imparting monumental status to buildings are the ones most vulnerable during earthquakes; (2) every heritage building has a soul which should not be muzzled - restoration must ensure preservation of the soul of the building to protect its architectural and heritage value; (3) tourism potential and ensuing commercial value can finance the health and well-being of such monuments; (4) ensuring structural integrity during restoration is important for an “integral box action ” of such buildings in future events and (5) even those buildings that are important historic public buildings and landmarks within a city or a town deserve the similar care in restoration as...”
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“...mosque. The remaining parts of the roof and the minarets were reconstructed completely in 1999.
However, the appearance of the mosque was changed beyond recognition as a result of these reconstructions. A picture found in a book by Kazimi and Kumar9 provides a glimpse of the original mosque (Fig. 3). The restored building of the Sher Shahi mosque (Fig. 4) reveals several deviations from the original one. The most striking of these deviations are: (1) The monumental appearance has been altered and subdued by changing the surface finish by using glazed ceramic tiles instead of plaster and the reduction of height of the front facade, particularly the central bay, so that the entire building now has a uniform height and (2) The architectural character - the Afghan style that led to the development of Indo-saracenic style by the Mughals in India, culminating in the wonderful Taj Mahal - is just faintly reminiscent.
Other changes include addition of two engaged columns to flank the central bay, use...”
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“...Indo-saracenic Revival Style, was established in 1900. The most striking feature of this building is its red facade of exposed brick work with definitions in contrasting buff colour. The four corners of the front portion of the building (built in two floors) are topped by Mughal type domes. Its Baroque-style curvilinear gables clearly reveal a Dutch influence while the rounded Moorish columns made of wrought iron, represent the architecture of the Andolusian Spain. Two variations of the pointed arch have been used in this building; the “four-centered pointed cusped arch” (of Iranian mould) and the “trefoil arch.” The building has 500 mm thick walls, shaded clerestory windows and Madras roof.20
This building withstood the earthquakes of 1934 and the 1988 but during the Nepal earthquake of 2015, cracks were observed in the comer of the upper floor and in the crown of adjacent arches.20
Results
The following facts have been revealed by the six case studies detailed above:
(1) Type of damage:...”
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“...ownership on restoration: The promptness widi which damage is assessed, proposal is formulated and repair and/or restoration is undertaken for a building after an earthquake, depends on several factors such as ownership, availability of funds and expertise. It was found that die only building among die ones studied that is not owned and maintained by the government - the Sher Shahi Mosque, was restored after 44 years of devastation! It suffered due to ignorance, lack of funds, lack of documentation and availability of expertise. The mosque Ownership also has an impact on die quality of restoration as there appears to be a compromise on not only its architectural character and heritage value but also die structural strength and stability as a whole.
(5) Regular maintenance, repair and adaptive reuse:
Heritage monuments such as die administrative building of NIT Patna, that are under continued use where regular maintenance and repair is ensured, have demonstrated resilience and longevity.20 Continued...”
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“...Disaster A chances
Vol. 10 (7) July (2017)
Fig. 6: Patna High Court
(Source: www.panoramio.com)
Fig. 7: Patna Secretariat in 1940s
(Source: photodivision.gov.in)
Fig. 8: Administrative building of NIT Patna
(Courtesy: Abdul Asrarr R.S.)
Ticketing such shows will generate revenue and ensure its maintenance and repair on regular basis. The use of jute, rotten jaggery and katha for the internal finish during renovation, is exemplary since it will make the interiors acoustically sound and conducive for such shows.
Discussion
Historical monuments present the most tangible legacy of our past and often, they are rich source of archaeological information. Such rich sources of heritage warrant a certain degree of care especially when restoring following damage due to destructive natural events such as earthquakes. Based on the outcome of the cases studied and review of extensive literature, an attempt has been made to explore considerations that are important from an architectural point of view...”
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“...have also demonstrated the use of a pre/post-earthquake “holistic and digital” survey tool as an innovative mechanism for survey and data collection “without paper” during in-situ surveys through GIS-based building inventories and 3D models targeted principally on earthquake. Such technologies may similarly be used in assessment of strength and stability post-reconstruction.
Retention of the soul of a building: Buildings are manifestation of the culture, civilization and the technological development of the era in which they were constructed. A building may be the only surviving example of a particular architectural style in a city of a region or it may be significant because of its excellence artistic merits or uniqueness of its design, compositions, craftsmanship,
details etc. The building might have been designed by an Architect/Engineer or other design professional or constructed by a builder whose work is of local, regional or national importance. It is also important to respect the idea...”
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“...d to prevent further damage. This will help regain its position as an important tourist spot. To ensure recovery of costs in reconstruction, a token fee may be collected from those visiting this monument.
Conclusion
This paper, through case studies of six historical buildings in Patna, has explored architectural considerations necessary for restoration of buildings damaged by earthquake. The highlight of this paper is that every building has a soul which must not be muzzled. In the case of damage, restoration must ensure preservation of the soul of the building to protect its architectural and heritage value. A significant outcome is the fact that tourism potential and ensuing commercial value can finance the health and well-being of such monuments.
Maintaining structural integrity during restoration by ensuring that it acts as a single tightly connected unit for withstanding such shocks in future is another important highlight. This study has also suggested the preferred course of action...”
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“...16. Roberts H.M., Architect of Empire: Joseph Fearis Munnings 1879-1937, University of Canterbury (2013)
17. Thakkar S.K. and Paul D.K., Behaviour of old historical buildings during August 21, 1988, Bihar-Nepal earthquake, In Earthquake Engineering, Tenth World Conference, 57-61 (1992)
18. Singh V.K., Patna-A Monumental History, Government of Bihar (2008)
19. Singh A., Majestic seat of real power, The Times of India
(2012)
20. Sharma A. and Kumar R., Monument of the ‘Raj’: The Administrative Building of National Institute of Technology Patna, International Conference on IT, Architecture and Mechanical
Engineering, 35-41 (2015)
21. Sonda D., Cossu M., Miyamoto H.K and Shah S.D., Methodology for Seismic Improvement of Ancient Heritage Monuments in India, The Masterbuilder, 4-10 (2015)
22. Kelley S.J., Sendova V. and Gavrilovic P., Seismic Protection of Byzantine Churches, 1-9 (1995)
23. Loustalot B.D., Beyond the appearance of heritage: Reconstruction of Historic Areas Affected by Earthquakes...”
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