THE NEED FOR SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION OF HERITAGE BUILDINGS WITHIN GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONAL CAMPUSES: A CASE STUDY OF BENGALURU

Abstract

Government institutional campuses constitute an important but often under-recognized layer of the architectural and cultural heritage of Indian cities. Unlike isolated monuments, institutional buildings remain active places of education, research, administration and public engagement, and therefore undergo continuous adaptation in response to changing functional, technological and infrastructural requirements. Such interventions, when undertaken without a systematic understanding of heritage significance, may result in the gradual loss of architectural character, historical associations, spatial relationships and institutional identity. This paper examines the need for a systematic approach to evaluating heritage significance within functioning institutional campuses, with Bengaluru as the study context. Four institutional campuses—Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), Raman Research Institute (RRI), and National Institute of Design (NID), Bengaluru—are examined as comparative case studies. The study adopts a qualitative, exploratory methodology based primarily on documentary analysis, institutional histories, architectural documentation and relevant heritage literature. The cases are evaluated across parameters including historical significance, architectural significance, institutional significance, campus and landscape value, authenticity, integrity, continuity of use, functional adaptability and vulnerability to change. The analysis demonstrates that institutional heritage significance cannot be determined solely through age or statutory heritage listing. It may also emerge from architectural authorship, scientific and educational history, institutional continuity, association with significant individuals, spatial organisation, landscape character and collective memory. The paper proposes a preliminary framework for systematic evaluation that can support conservation, maintenance, infrastructure upgrading, adaptive intervention and future campus planning. It argues that heritage assessment should become an integral component of institutional master planning rather than being treated as a constraint imposed on development.