Archinect - News

Sitting in the shadow of the Taj Mahal, the lush Mughal Gardens of Agra have been restored

2019-01-14T18:09:00-05:00

The World Monuments Fund [...] announced the completion of a conservation project at two historic Mughal gardens along the Yamuna riverfront in Agra, India, that had been threatened by pollution, traffic congestion and other urban ills. The sites, Mehtab Bagh and the Garden of the Tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah, were newly inaugurated by the fund and the Archaeological Survey of India, its partner in the four-year effort, in a ceremony at I’timad-ud-Daulah.

Image via the World Monuments Fund on Facebook

"The project will finish with the completion of a visitor center at I’timad-ud-Daulah, to open in 2019," reports the World Monuments Fund. "Raising awareness and visibility of the gardens that are often overshadowed by their more famous neighbor, the Taj Mahal, was an important objective of the conservation. The enhanced visitor services will offer local residents and tourists an opportunity to learn more about the history of the magnificent gardens."

India proposes to fight pollution after Supreme Court considers demolition of deteriorating Taj Mahal

2018-07-30T14:17:00-04:00

India has proposed a ban on plastics, polluting factories and construction around its 17th-century monument to love, the Taj Mahal, a government document showed, in a bid to stave off pollution that is turning the structure yellow and green. In a draft document submitted to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, authorities in Uttar Pradesh said they would ban all plastics, switch to electric and hydrogen vehicles, and boost the green cover within the precincts of the Taj, to fight pollution.

"The document was submitted after the justices, in a fit of anger during a hearing two weeks ago, demanded that authorities either restore the structure or tear it down," Reuters reports. "One of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal is flanked by a garbage-strewn river and is often enveloped by dust and smog from belching smokestacks and vehicles."

India's Supreme Court again weighs in on discolored Taj Mahal: shut it down, demolish it, or restore it

2018-07-16T15:50:00-04:00

The Taj Mahal in Agra could be closed unless the Indian government steps in and saves the neglected landmark, says India’s Supreme Court. “Either we shut down the Taj or demolish it or you restore it,” the two-judge committee told state officials last week. [...] The Supreme Court says that it will monitor the situation on a day-to-day basis from 31 July.

Frustrated with the slow response from officials in charge of restoring the deteriorating Taj Mahal, India's highest court demanded swift action to stop the ongoing discoloration of the iconic Unesco World Heritage site caused by pollution and millions of tiny insects, saying: "We want you to give us an action plan of what you propose to do. We will hear it and finally dispose it. If it has to be shut down, let it be shut."

The Taj Mahal went from white to yellow and now greenish

2018-05-10T19:08:00-04:00

India’s Supreme Court on Wednesday faulted the country’s archaeological conservation body for failing to protect the Taj Mahal from discoloration, dirty feet and green slime emitted by millions of mosquito-like insects. Since 2015, the body, the Archaeological Survey of India, has overseen a restoration project at the Taj Mahal, with workers scaling scaffolding to remove grime from the 17th-century tomb [...].

After decades of slowly turning dull and yellowish from smog and pollution, the Taj Mahal's formerly white facade has now taken on an unattractive green discoloration. Archaeological experts suspect swarms of tiny bugs to be the perpetrators, but India's highest court isn't pleased with the slow pace of cleanup of what is arguably India's most well know architectural landmark.

Muslim-built Taj Mahal in the crosshairs of Hindu nationalists

2017-10-30T15:47:00-04:00

Times are tough for India’s monument to love. Air pollution is turning its marble surface yellow. Restoration work is obscuring its famous minarets. Tens of millions of tourists still flock to Agra each year, but numbers are reportedly waning. Critics of the Taj Mahal are also growing increasingly bold. In past months, religious nationalists in the Hindu-majority country have stepped up a campaign to push the four-century-old Mughal monument to the margins of Indian history.

"Resentment at the fact the country’s most recognisable monument was built by a Muslim emperor has always existed on the fringes of the Hindu right," The Guardian writes. "But those fringes have never been so powerful."

The Taj Mahal, yellowed by smog, is getting a restorative mud mask

2016-10-10T13:20:00-04:00

The famed monument to love ... has for years been acquiring a yellow tinge despite a ban on coal-powered industries in the area. Authorities have been applying "mud packs" around the side walls and towers since last year to draw the impurities out of the stone, but have not yet touched the main central dome. [...] The mud-pack therapy involves covering the surface with fuller's earth and leaving it to dry before removing it with soft brushes and distilled water.

Editor's Picks #297

2013-01-09T12:48:00-05:00

Alison Cuddy of WBEZ 91.5 reported that the Save Prentice Coalition has made the case that re-using the former Prentice Hospital could mean more money, jobs...curtkram was puzzled "hmm. i used to live on the north side of chicago and i don't recall ever seeing this building. anyway, aside from preserving this building because of it's characteristic of a historic style, or because some particularly important person thinks it looks cool, there is a good argument for sustainability".

Archinect finished reflecting back on the 2012 most trafficked pages in Archinect's diverse online ecosystem, with a list of 12 top 12 lists for '12. As always, they listing the most popular pages from across the site, based exclusively on visits by unique page-views. We completed the look-back by publishing the; Top 12 Blogs for '12, Top 12 Blog Posts for '12, Top 12 Live Blogs for '12, Top 12 Projects for '12, Top 12 Firm Profiles for '12, Top 12 People Profiles for '12, Top 12 School Profiles for '12, Top 12 Jobs for '12, Top 12 Competitions for '12 and finally the Top 12 Discussions for '12.

News
Alison Cuddy of WBEZ 91.5 reported that the Save Prentice Coalition has made the case that re-using the former Prentice Hospital could mean more money, jobs. The reuse alternatives for the Bertrand Goldberg-designed Prentice Hospital were unveiled at a press conference on January 3, 2013. You can view the presentation here (PDF file).

mantaray corrected Thayer-D "First of all,...

Q&A: How Safe is the Taj Mahal?

2011-10-28T17:39:53-04:00

Recent claims that the Taj Mahal is in danger of collapsing sparked panic among historians and archeologists worldwide. Following the reports, a twin bench of Supreme Court justices D.K. Jain and A.R. Dave issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government, the Archaeological Survey of India and the Ministry of Environment, ordering probes. The results of the probes are slated to be examined by the Supreme Court on Nov. 15.