Built heritage: Angles all wrong in LHC west wing restoration
Rebuilt structure does not align with old passageway from Kiani Hall.
LAHORE:
An error in the restoration of the west wing of the Lahore High Court means a corridor that previously linked the historic building to the Kiani Hall of the bar is left unconnected, putting engineers and architects in a quandary as to what to do with the misaligned passageway.
LHC Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, on a request from lawyers, ordered a four-foot extension on the passageway so that it links to the west wing building. But because of the misalignment, a pillar is situated in the centre of the space connecting the passageway to the west wing building. Javed Bashir Sulehria, executive engineer of the Communication and Works Department who is supervising the restoration work at the passageway, told The Express Tribune that several engineers had been consulted on how to remove the pillar, but they had all advised against it since it was a load-bearing pillar.
He said it was previously planned to tear down the passageway but the present administration of the LHC had decided to restore it. He said he had advised LHC Registrar Abdul Sattar Asghar against the restoration because the passageway was no longer aligned properly with the west wing and the restored link would “look ugly”.
Former LHC chief justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry had ordered the demolition of the passageway between the bar and the west wing.
Former LHC Bar Association president Mian Abdul Quddoos told The Express Tribune that he had asked the incumbent chief justice to restore the corridor to make it easier for lawyers to get to the courts in times of bad weather. He said the restoration of the passage was also necessary to restore the beauty of the historic building of the bar and the LHC. He said though a pillar falls in the way, “something is better that nothing”.
Architect Nayyer Ali Dada, who was one of the members of a committee set up by the Supreme Court for the reconstruction of the building, said the court had ordered the original façade and architecture of the building restored as it was before demolition.
“The west wing should not have been demolished at all but it was so it should have been restored to its original shape.
The LHC building was a masterpiece of the colonial period. Before any maintenance or restoration work is done on such historic buildings, the experts concerned must be taken on board,” Dada said. Civil society activists, lawyers and students of the National College of Arts and University of Punjab staged strong protests against the demolition of the historic building in 2004, deeming it to be a violation of Section 5 of the Punjab Special Premises (Preservation) Ordinance 1985, as the LHC was listed as a protected building under a notification dated March 21, 1985.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court ordered then LHC chief justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry to constitute a committee to ensure that the building is reconstructed with its original architectural features, design and façade.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 03rd, 2011.
An error in the restoration of the west wing of the Lahore High Court means a corridor that previously linked the historic building to the Kiani Hall of the bar is left unconnected, putting engineers and architects in a quandary as to what to do with the misaligned passageway.
LHC Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, on a request from lawyers, ordered a four-foot extension on the passageway so that it links to the west wing building. But because of the misalignment, a pillar is situated in the centre of the space connecting the passageway to the west wing building. Javed Bashir Sulehria, executive engineer of the Communication and Works Department who is supervising the restoration work at the passageway, told The Express Tribune that several engineers had been consulted on how to remove the pillar, but they had all advised against it since it was a load-bearing pillar.
He said it was previously planned to tear down the passageway but the present administration of the LHC had decided to restore it. He said he had advised LHC Registrar Abdul Sattar Asghar against the restoration because the passageway was no longer aligned properly with the west wing and the restored link would “look ugly”.
Former LHC chief justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry had ordered the demolition of the passageway between the bar and the west wing.
Former LHC Bar Association president Mian Abdul Quddoos told The Express Tribune that he had asked the incumbent chief justice to restore the corridor to make it easier for lawyers to get to the courts in times of bad weather. He said the restoration of the passage was also necessary to restore the beauty of the historic building of the bar and the LHC. He said though a pillar falls in the way, “something is better that nothing”.
Architect Nayyer Ali Dada, who was one of the members of a committee set up by the Supreme Court for the reconstruction of the building, said the court had ordered the original façade and architecture of the building restored as it was before demolition.
“The west wing should not have been demolished at all but it was so it should have been restored to its original shape.
The LHC building was a masterpiece of the colonial period. Before any maintenance or restoration work is done on such historic buildings, the experts concerned must be taken on board,” Dada said. Civil society activists, lawyers and students of the National College of Arts and University of Punjab staged strong protests against the demolition of the historic building in 2004, deeming it to be a violation of Section 5 of the Punjab Special Premises (Preservation) Ordinance 1985, as the LHC was listed as a protected building under a notification dated March 21, 1985.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court ordered then LHC chief justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry to constitute a committee to ensure that the building is reconstructed with its original architectural features, design and façade.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 03rd, 2011.