Studio 877 by localground

RE-ADAPTING PRIVATE PROPERTIES FOR PUBLIC USE

Studio 877 is situated in the old cantonment quarters of the city of Pune in western India. It is home to an architectural practice—Local Ground—and the Loft, a cultural space, both started by architect Khushru Irani. The 100-year-old building, which was in a dilapidated state, was given a new lease of life through painstaking restoration work.

“The two-storey building was bought by my grandfather and served as residence for our large family for many years. We also had tenants there, but the roof of the first floor was in a crumbling state and it needed solid structural remodelling.” Irani decided to take on the challenge of restoring the building for many reasons, but mainly because firstly, it was financially cheaper than building something new, and secondly, the cantonment neighbourhood where the building is located does not allow for new construction easily.

Apart from the studio, Irani and his team also built a loft space where he regularly hosts a range of events from talks and seminars to cultural performances. “It is important for a public consensus to develop around restoring and readapting, especially because there aren’t many examples out there.” The vision behind creating a cultural space alongside his architectural studio was to bring people in and show how deceptively plain-looking buildings from the outside can host a range of modern functions while inspiring neat design.

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PROJECT DATA

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