My visit to the Gun House, Ahmedabad by Charles Correa
After wrapping up my fellowship at the Charles Correa Foundation in Panaji, Goa, I needed a time-off to think about what I was going to do next. After listening to about a hundred different versions of my future from everyone around me, and disagreeing with all of them, I returned back home only to quickly elope to Gujarat for a well-earned time off. Amongst the places I got to visit & the people I got to spend time with, one experience took centre stage for me.
Working on the Correa Archive, I had developed a good
understanding of Correa’s work. One such was the
Gun House, and knowing I will be so close to it on this trip; I had to make it
a must to go and see it. The idea of the Gun House, from its name, shape, to the
stories of its current fate brought tremendous interest to my mind. It is rare
to see a work of a significant architect that goes through such massive degree
of change, that isn’t a house (residence).
The Gun House, as designed by Charles Correa in 1960-62 was an office building; made to serve the Ahmedabad Rifle Association as an office to display guns & to provide rentable office spaces that can be further added onto the designed building as the need arises. “The building consists of two separate blocks each 12 m x 12 m. The floor slabs are dia-grids, supported by a column placed at the middle of each external wall, augmented by diagonal braces to the corners. This creates an internal office space free of obstruction. The central slot between the two blocks is used for circulation and toilets.” (source: Charles Correa Associates) The building’s iconic façade, consisting of the textured concrete walls & the diagonal bracing, is a separate entity that remains detached from this slab support system. This allows the building to look like it floats on the surface of the ground.
Being one of Correa’s earliest works it shows unique prowess,
as it is the crudest manifestation of one of Correa’s unique takes on architecture;
that being the need of incrementality in buildings. The idea saw its revival and
took centre stage in the Belapur Housing project in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
much later in 1983-86. Another feature rarely seen in rest of Correa’s work is
the exclusive use of concrete (directly inspired from Le Corbusier's work in India).
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Over the course of my time in the Foundation, I got to learn more about the building's current condition. With one block converted into an apartment and much of one block functioning as a tailor/launderer's shop, this idea of metamorphosis of a building was taking shape in my mind.
Taking time off from my holiday, I set out alone to see this caterpillar/butterfly of a building. After about an hour of travelling and asking every soul in my way for directions at the start and at the end of every turn, I finally arrived. At first, I almost missed it, as it did not stand out from any of its surrounding buildings, almost as if it had assimilated amongst its peers. This was because the first block visible was the apartment that had seen the most amount of change and resembled nothing what Correa had initially designed.
Walking ahead, I was able to see the staircase, now with certain additions to it, but retaining the iconic façade texture. Started and made well known by Le Corbusier, thanks to the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh. And as I walked further ahead, there it was, the front façade with the name ‘GUN HOUSE’, the sign was falling off but still maintained its character and now, when I looked at it so closely, it stood out amongst the buildings around it.
I had recognised where to enter the building from the
pictures in the archive and documentation from other photographers. After
asking the man sitting down on the steps to the office, who was nice enough to
encourage me to go in, I stepped inside to be greeted to a time capsule of a
space inside. Musty and covered with dust, old furniture that had not been used
over a couple of decades surrounded the space, stacked one on top of the other.
Lights and fans hung from the coffers of the ornate ceiling. A deer head with a
missing eye next to pictures of ancestors of the owner of the establishment was
the last thing I noticed. Slowly I picked up the courage to pull out my phone
to take pictures.
A man who was the owner looked at me confused. I spoke first
“This is the Gun House, right?”
He shot back saying “Oh yes! Come in. Take pictures. it’s
alright”
I smiled back and continued photographing the space. After a
while of photographing the dark, I walked to his cubicle, next to an impromptu
general store, perhaps started now to make ends meet. Walking in, I noticed
that there were two more people inside, perhaps the father and the daughter of
the man who spoke to me.
Seeing my excitement in photographing the building, the man
told me about the architecture of the building, about the 4 peripheral columns the column-less
space in the middle and about how old the building was. We talked a little
more, this time the father also chimed in, speaking in high regards for Charles
Correa and how greatly the building has served them. The daughter expressed her
doubts and joked how they have had to open a gym by adding a third level to the
building. The remark seemed to disappoint the men, as it brought their heads
down and their expressions changed. The family was indeed on rough times.
The trio were kind enough to engage me in some more chat
over snacks, reminiscing about the older times. And as the conversation drew to
an end, I realised it was time for me to leave. I bid farewell to the trio and
headed out before taking a glance of the office.
As I sat outside with a cup of tea, I took time to think of what my intention was to come here. Was it a mystery that needed clearing or just my wild imagination that I had to kill? The building was still there, the idea of Correa for it to be a changing building was true and the people who owned it were happy with how it has served them over the years.
Even Correa himself never talked about the building after it was built. Perhaps the building lacked an overall overarching idea that Correa wished to propagate through this work or Correa wasn’t satisfied with how the building turned out in the end. Regardless, it is something significant in the architecture that Correa practiced and the architecture that came about in Ahmedabad and therefore, in India.
Loved reading about the story of Gun House and the reminiscing owner’s story. An art piece that made itself at home in this place. A bit different now yet reminding us of the time gone by.
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