Lahori Gate Museum: Restoring Delhi's Heritage

Restoring a structure like the Lahori Gate Haveli requires more than just construction skill. Before we laid a single brick, we engaged in months of meticulous distress mapping to identify structural cracks and dampness. This is not just about appearances, it is about forensic architectural repair where we use period-correct materials like lime plaster and Dholpur stone to ensure the building survives for another century.

Adaptive reuse is often misunderstood as simple renovation. At the Lahori Gate Haveli, our challenge was to honor a 96-year-old structure that had fallen into deep disrepair while preparing it for its new life as a public museum. We approached this not as a standard renovation, but as an act of architectural resurrection.

The process began with exhaustive digital archiving and measured drawings, as most original plans for these heritage structures have long vanished. We performed a detailed structural analysis, identifying foundation weaknesses that required micro-concreting and epoxy grouting to safely support the weight of a public-facing institution. Every design decision was anchored in our research into the building's lineage, ensuring that our interventions in steel and glass harmonized with the existing Mughal and colonial elements.

Creating a museum within a haveli means navigating the balance between historical narrative and modern accessibility. We strategically concealed modern MEP requirements behind period-appropriate cornices and woodwork. Our goal is to ensure the museum functions as a living archive for Shahjahanabad, with exhibition spaces and audiovisual tools that tell the story of the surrounding Chandni Chowk markets. This project is a dialogue between the past and the future, intended to ensure that our city's heritage is not just preserved in books, but experienced in the very bricks we have stabilized.