Adaptive Reuse Across Typologies: Civic, Educational, and Domestic Colonial Heritage in India

Abstract

India’s architectural heritage extends beyond monuments to include civic institutions, educational structures, and domestic dwellings. Many of these buildings, products of colonial encounters and vernacular ingenuity, are threatened by neglect and rapid urbanization. Adaptive reuse offers a design-led strategy to conserve these structures while embedding them with contemporary value. This paper examines three case studies across different typologies: the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) Building as a civic landmark, Shaala No. 4 in Jamalpur as an educational building now undergoing conversion into a boutique hotel, and the Rodrigues Home Stay in Goa as a Goan-Portuguese villa reimagined as a domestic hospitality enterprise. By situating these examples within global and Indian adaptive reuse discourse, the paper highlights how typology influences reuse potential, structural strategies, and socio-economic outcomes. Comparative analysis demonstrates that civic heritage embodies collective memory, educational heritage adapts to tourism economies, and domestic heritage negotiates authenticity within hospitality. Together, these sites illustrate adaptive reuse as a culturally embedded, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable practice for Indian heritage..