ADAPTIVE REUSE AND

RESTORATION

SARJANA .VS
CHANDANA .B
PALLAVI .BR
 CINNAMON BOUTIQUE, BANGALORE

The Cinnamon Boutique Was Originally A Colonial Bungalow That Was Set Up As An Orphanage
By A Philanthropist, During The Great Famine Of The 19th Century. Before It’s Renovation, The
Orphanage Was Lying In A Miserable Condition With Moss Growing On Its Walls And A Highly
Damaged Foundation And Roof. It Was Due To The Constant Efforts Of Mathew And Gosh
Architects That The Bungalow Was Finally Restored. Today, Cinnamon Is One Of The Finest
Lifestyle Boutique Stores In Bangalore, With Its Vintage Charm And Unusual Aesthetics
 HISTORY
Bulging and crumbling
 Rai Bahadur Arcot Narrainsawmy lime plaster and mud
mortar masonry 
Mudaliar was a philanthropist with a
strong affinity for social reform. He
belonged to an ancient and historic
family, and founded the R.B.A.N.M.'s
Educational Charities and R.B.A.N.M.'s Arch with
structural cracks
Chattram and other Charities.

 During the Great Famine 1876-78, the

miserable condition of the orphans
prompted Narrainswamy Mudaliar to
setup an orphanage.The foundation The courtyard corner
column
stone for the orphanage was laid by His
Excellency the Marquess of Lansdowne,
the Viceroy and Governor General of
India on 23rd Novrmber 1892.
LOCATION AND SOIL CONDITION
 Located in the wetlands of the Halasuru lake (the site
being visibly in the extended flood plain of the lake in
the 18th century city maps) the soil condition had
repercussions over the 120 years of age that it has now
been for the structure. Firstly the soil due to extreme clay
content is prone to textural slippage and also more prone
to expansion and contraction of volume due to change in
sub soil water content / moisture.

THE BUILDING SITE, BETWEEN ULSOOR TANK AND

 Both the conditions affected the structure in the century RBANMS GROUNDS IN BANGALORE 

long time of its existence. Both the underground soil

conditions caused stresses and unequal settlement
thereby causing shear stresses and toppling effects to
different parts of the building.

 The foundation was fractured and the corners of the

building (the four corners of the structure extremities) The North East corner in distress The east facade
began separating from the main body elevations of the due to fracture in foundation  looking North
building. A further cause of the subsoil condition
deterioration has been the wearing off of layers of soil Stone steps at the side
blow the foundation due to the open rain water drainage access 
runoff that was flowing on the East and South of the
immediate edges of the sides of the building.
 OVER COME PROBLEMS
To stabilise these corners a 2 pronged strategy
was deployed. Firstly to do underpinning to
deter & stop further effect of settlement due to
fractures within the foundation & to fill any soil
hollows in their vicinity which could cause
further erosion of soil below. Secondly to tie and The east facade looking South
The Courtyard  
stitch structurally the upper parts of the
structure at these 4 building corners to make
them into monolithic elements along with the
entire building. The stitch was done in 2
complimentary ways one with through stone
slabs at cracks to counter compressive forces and
the second being with steel staples with
grouting laced alternately over the length of
cracks and further light lime mortar pressure
grouted along the cracks once done with the two
ways of control.
A view of the courtyard through The typical window module -
one of the rooms  sealed & over protective 

 The revival of this little structure from its physical condition of structural distress and physical & surface
despair had resuscitated life back into an artefact of the bygone age. It has revived in a small way the
memory of an important element of urban history. The physical presence shall remain for generations to
come and sense a bit of history of the rapidly changing face of the city of Bangalore where many such
buildings are at risk and their history’s need to be saved.
'Old And New Comparision' From Bottom: (A) Plans, (B)
Flooring, (C) Cracks And Rafter Replacement, And (D)
Rwp & Dampness © Mathew And Ghosh Architect
PROBLEMS WHILE ADAPTIVE REUSE OF
BUILDING
 In response to the multitude of factors affecting the structure various steps
were taken. Some of the important ones to note were:
 Underpinning of foundation
 Stitching wall cracks with steel
 Bridging wall cracks with stone slabs
 Grouting of cracks
 Replacement of rafters that were considerably damaged by identifying each and
every element in the roof structure
 Capping of damaged ends of beams and rafter
 Working out a steel prop system to uphold the major roof support elements
(such as the main wooden beams) to take the load off the beam from
transferring to the wall in case of issues with the wall (since almost all such
conditions did not reveal a stone / wood wall plate within the masonry.
 Working out a dual system of
differentially spaced props for the wall
between the font bay and the courtyard
 Removal of plaster and touch up in same
material / mix as original for the exterior
in order to prevent entry of moisture to
the mud mortar within the wall courses Cinnamon store veiw at
entrance, photographed in 2017 
 Gravity lime grouting of all cracks in the
madras terrace slabs and additional SS
layer lime plaster across such conditions
above.
 Reworking of all rain water down take
spouts and all valleys & ridges on the
roof surface Courtyard- with gravel CINNAMON - a boutique store
housed in a building from the
 Complete removal of water proofing 19th century photographed in
2017 
layer and redoing with same material /
mix as original
 Maintaining all ornamental features and
CINNAMON - a boutique store
so on in lime plaster etc all as per housed in a building from the
19th century photographed in
original design & resolution 2017
The restoration therefore has brought the building to an
extended life
 By dealing with the foundation structural elements
 By dealing with the connected shell elements of the walls
 By dealing with the roof structural elements.
 The roof composed of the Madras terrace slab and subsequent layers of
waterproofing etc have had a rough time over these 120 odd years as well. Due to
underutilisation & maintenance being ignored over the years a sequence of events
has affected the slabs and walls etc. The sequence of causes & effects is cyclic and
can be summarised as follows:

 Wear and tear of top surface of the waterproofing and some minor cracks
formation
 Lack of maintenance and accumulation of dry leaves and seeds from the surrounding
trees etc along with rain water getting blocked due to choking o the rain water spouts to take
the terrace water away from the terrace.
 Growth of moss & seeds & dust / soil particles / lime particles from the waterproof top layers
etc lead to germination of Ficus religiosa Linn (commonly known as the peepal tree) near the
rain water spots.
 Due to their non removal the medium for growth these continued to gain root and creeped
within the cracks atop the walls where the madras terrace started splitting
 As the roots entered the madras terrace the gaps gradually got larger with the continued
growth of the roots and the cyclic effect of further deterioration started and the roots even
started moving between the walls (mud mortar – thereby causing hidden structurally
weakening vertical cracks) and between the walls and the lime plaster layer etc.
 Ingress of water & moisture into the walls softened the mud mortar and the walls (there was
no wall plate below the beams!) bulged and cracked and lost their verticality too
 The wooden beams and rafters in touch with the moisture started rotting
 The beams and rafters were deeply rotted at their points of contact along the length as well as
their points / extent of insertion within the walls.
 As the wood became moist it also bent and therefore causing lesser support to the madras
terrace.
 The entire look became a cyclic process of cause becoming effect and vice versa.
Isometric View
CONCLUSION
 Buildings When Built With A Selected Function In Mind, Face The Threat Of Becoming
Odsolete When The Necessity Changes. There Are Various Ways By Which Structures
That Are On The Trail Of Obsolescence Are Often Saved - Creating Ancillary Uses,
Adapting, Involving The Building With Its Surrounding In Order That Its Interactive To
The Userpushed Adaptive Reuse Intom S. As The Times Are Changing, Population Is
Increasing, Technology Is Rapidly Advancing, But The Quantity Of Land Available Does
Not Stands As Equivalent That It Had Been Years Ago. Thus, Land Value Increases And
Vacant Lots Are Reducing.
 These Factors Coupled Together Have Pushed Adaptive Reuse Into Spotlight As Most
Preferred Solution To Tackle Abandoned Buildings. It Strives To Supply Possible Strategies
For The Successful Adaptive Reuse Of Heritage Buildings With Causing Minimum
Interferences Within The Existing Forms, Designs And Interior Elements. It Demonstrates
That Its Not Only Important To Retain And Restore But Also To Adapt Them So On Give
Them New Uses That Are Almost Like Their Original Intents
 Adaptation For Contemporary Use Has Resuted In New Forms Supported Old Forms But
Adapted For Contemporary Use. Finally, This Process Looks At Future Feasibilty For A
Neighborhood; Specifically, It Proposes That Transformation Of Uses For Various
Typologies.