NATIONAL GALLERY REUSE OF A HERITAGE BUILDIN

OF MODERN ART, CREATES A TRULY MODERN

MUSEUM

BANGALORE
INTRODUCTION
The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in Bangalore is a premier art institution
in India – the third and the youngest following the NGMA in Delhi and Mumbai.
NGMA Bengaluru, when compared to its counterparts in Delhi and Mumbai, is the
best....The structure is a heritage one, preserved with all its grandeur
PROJECT : NATIONAL GALLERY OF MODERN ART (NGMA)
LOCATION : BENGALURU
CLIENT : NGMA
ARCHITECTS : VENKATRAMAN ASSOCIATES
AREA : 62,000 SFT / 5765 SQMT
TIMELINE : 2003- 2009
STATUS : COMPLETED
ADAPTIVE REUSE AS A MEANS OF CREATING DIALOGUE BETWEEN WHAT WAS AND
WHAT IS…
HISTORY
The gallery was being refurbished in 2006 to open as the
third site of NGMA. This follows a prolonged period of
development and controversy.
The sprawling, 100 year old Manikyavelu Mansion once
belonged to Vilum Manickavelu Mudaliar the, a Yuvaraja of
Mysore. Mudaliar was not born into aristocracy, but rather
married into it. He became a successful business owner after
leasing several manganese and chrome mines on lease.
According to the documents in the NGMA archives, the
building was bought by Mudalier early on in his career. The
archivists at the NGMA are certain that Mudalier and his
family lived in the mansion for quite some years. However,
due to financial problems, the house was put on auction and
was acquired by the City Improvement Trust, currently the
BDA, and then transferred to the Housing Board in the
1960’s.
In 2000, the Ministry of Kannada and culture sub-leased the
mansion to the Ministry of Culture. It became the chosen
location for the southern centre the NGMA. Restoration
began in 2003, and opened on 18th February, 2009 under
the curatorial ship of Sobha Nambisan.
CONTEXT AND IMPORTANCE
The project is built in a setting very unique to that of the
surroundings of any other art gallery. But this setting
existed differently in the past then what it is now.
The Manikyavelu mansion existed in a residential
surrounding, with structures built in a similar style(Neo
classical). But this mansion was more of a marvel with its
sprawling garden. Adding on to its size it was once owned
by the prince of Mysore, later sold to manikyavelu. This
building, an epitome of grandeur was an important
structure in the locality.
This mansion now, after its re-adaptation has much more
of an importance than just a residence. It has become a
landmark on Palace road, where people visit, interact and
get lost in its grandeur. The setting now is much more
commercial then residential, surrounded by restaurants,
hotels and offices.
UNDERSTANDING ITS DESIGN AND APPROACH
Architect Naresh
Narasimhan
transformed the
almost 100-year-
old heritage
residence spread
over 3.5 acre
into an art
gallery at a cost
of Rs 8 crore. A
1,260 square
meter extension
was added to the
1,500 square
meter mansion,
along with an
auditorium,
library , museum
shop and cafe.
"The mansion
was a diamond
and we just
created a ring
around it," said
Narasimhan,
The trees in the
premises have
grown naturally
. Lack of serial
or sequence
planting added
to the
property's
beauty , he
said. "While the
40-yearold rain
and rubber
trees integrate
with the white
granite
structure and
the water body
beautifully ,
there is also
the Tabebuia
donnell-smithii,
Buddha's
coconut,
banyans,
Built around an
old mansion,
the NGMA is
three times the
size of the
original
Manickyavelu
mansion
including two
new blocks,
built with the
ideals of the
heritage
structure,
mirroring the
older building
on either side.
The new
complex is
characterized
by large
spaces,
weathered
floors and
The main approach
was to create an
interaction between
climate and
landscape : Natural
daylight streams in
and ventilation is
ample owing to the
clerestory windows.
This light and
ventilation are
modelled to reduce
energy consumption.
None of the trees on
the site were cut. The
vegetation is a
prized possession
of the gallery.
With Edge Skylights
(each gallery has
strips of skylights at
the edges of the
ceiling which helps to
illuminate the hall
during the day, thus
reducing energy
consumption), The
Neutrality Of
Material (The two-
storey building has a
red-tiled sloped roof,
refinished, lime
plastered walls),
Detail (the building
consists of decorative
plasterwork along
column heads, roof
lines and windows),
Colour ( the walls in
the gallery are
The sculpture
courtyards
segregate the
semi-public
and public
spaces to
ensure a clear
distinction
between the
two. The open
sculpting
courtyard
melds with the
existing flora
and terrain
and functions
as a creative
workspace. A
café, art shop,
100-seater
auditorium
and art library
transform the
gallery from a
GUIDELINES
-To acquire and preserve works of modern art from 1850s onwards
-To organize, maintain and develop galleries for permanent display
-To organize special exhibitions not only in its own premises but in other
parts of the country and abroad.
-To develop an education and documentation centre in order to acquire,
maintain and preserve documents relating to works of modern art
-To develop a specialized library of books, periodicals, photographs and other
audio visual materials
-To organize lectures, seminars and conferences, and to encourage higher
studies and research in the field of art history, art criticism, art appreciation,
museology and the inter-relations on visual and performing arts.
RENOVATIONS/STRATEGIES
TECHINICAL
Contrary to its past the main door now has a security metal scanner.
It is very clear that the building at first had stone flooring all over with just some
sections of wood, but the stone floor has now been tiled after its renovation.
Upon Entering the mansion, we find a corridor with a high ceiling and two
balconies looking over the corridor, exactly one would find in many old palaces.
The first floor had wooden flooring now tiled. Wooden beams are still noticed
from the ground floor.
The renovation work has been done very neatly, with air conditioning vents very
intricately being installed in such an old building. The renovation also made way
for installation of adequate security measures like, CCTV cameras at every few
feet and also motion alarm triggers on every window.