HYDERABAD: GSV Suryanarayana Murthy, the conservation architect who had first flagged the problems including that of waterlogging in Osmania General Hospital in 2012, has come up with an elaborate plan for its renewal.
Murthy has four designs ready that he says will transform the heritage building and make it sustainable. He has submitted the designs to the State government and is awaiting a response. Murthy has proposed complete restoration of the heritage building and detailed reorganisation of surrounding areas.
He has proposed that pantries and washrooms be provided in a separate place. Modern medical facilities such as operation theatres can be shifted to the new block. The new building should frame views of the OGH heritage building which are currently not available, he recommends.
“All materials used for repair and renovation need to be coherent chemically, physically, and visually with the historic nature of the building,” he says in his report. As for connectivity within the OGH complex, he said that it has to meticulously planned. Murthy insists that the skyline of the OGH domes should not be interfered with. “Any intervention (new building) in the site shall use the Osmania General Hospital Heritage Building as the physical and visual focus of the campus,” his report proposes.
“This would aid in making the heritage building the focal point of the campus,” Murthy adds. “The old and new buildings eventually need to complement each other and create a whole. The contemporary architecture of the new built forms shall not take away from the historic value of the heritage building but add value,” the presentation report states.