Newsletter (Senior)
April 2018PDF 12
16 pagesrevision 414
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MAKE A GIFT
The Old Building Fund
From the earliest contributions to the more recent acts of philanthropy, Aitchison College has benefited
greatly from the generous support of Old Boys and others who believe in the advancement of education.
If you would like to support the College’s high standards of education or simply give back as an Old
Aitchisonian, there are several ways for you to support us. Gifts to Aitchison College can be made for any
of the following purposes:
Our donation drive for the Old Building has so far raised 16 million
rupees and we thank all those who came to the rescue. This amount
allows us to make an immediate start but we have a long way to go.
Donations are still welcome and needed. The anticipated total cost
of the project is estimated to be 30 million rupees.
The 'Old Building' is our greatest architectural treasure: standing
iconic as an 'educational mother'; the keeper of memories and boy-
hoods' past. Its conservation and preservation is of utmost impor-
tance to us all.
In order to be renovated and returned to its former glory, the Old
Building has been closed until at least September 2019. It is a long
time to be without our iconic building, but the end result will ensure
that it stands strong and tall for another century. This is a masterful,
ambitious and time consuming project.
Among many recommended interventions, it will be rid of termites,
wooden batons replaced under verandas, the entire back section’s
two floors revived for operational use, concrete removed from the
roof balconies, internal plaster of paris cleaned by air pressure tech-
niques, ornate woodwork brought back to life, unauthentic floor
tiles and skirting mended and replaced with original designs, new
wiring throughout, removal of ugly air conditioning and strip lights,
and a host of original internal and external ornate work retouched
and restored. Walking on the roof, it becomes clear there are many
missing pieces to the puzzle. The above work will feature a return-
ing of both the dome or cupola (back to pink) and the precious red
marble columns back to their original lustre.
The best news is that the building’s engineering is sound. The glori-
ous Main Hall is in good condition and will require very little atten-
tion. We have discussed the benefit of replacing honour boards that
have now become impossible to read in most cases, and returning
them to their original black and white scheme.
Old Boy architect Raees Faheem will be overseeing the entire proj-
ect and the Board subcommittee will receive regular updates that
we will be happy to share. His report on the building is a comprehen-
sive document (a first) that has given the Board a clear picture of
what needs to be done. This intervention is urgent and necessary.
One of the key observations made was that the building must be
used to ensure its long term survival. To this end, we will be present-
ing plans to have the ‘Old Building’ operating as a Music School in
2020.