Investigation of Colonial Heritage Buildings in Khulna City

Khulna Municipality was established under the British Indian regime in 1884. Its geographical location is close to Kolkata (Calcutta), the then capital of the British Indian Empire. Several Government and private buildings were constructed in Khulna city with a strong influence of colonial architecture. The change of occupancy, lack of proper maintenance and rapid urbanization in Khulna city with a hike of land price around these structures poses a serious threat to these Colonial Heritage Buildings in Khulna City (CHBK). Several private colonial buildings are nearly hundred years old and they possess historic, architectural, aesthetic, social and communal values which fulfil the requirements to be declared as heritage sites. According to the Antiquities Act 1968, the Department of Archaeology (DoA) recognizes a building as heritage property which is more than 100 years old. So, these buildings are not yet in the list of DoA for conservation. On the other hand, Khulna City Corporation is preparing a list of buildings which are vulnerable and need to be demolished immediately for public safety. Several heritage structures may be included in this list which might be conserved if proper documentation and assessment is possible. Once these structures enhanced the magnificence and success of Khulna city and contributed in developing a distinct architectural style, albeit a good number of renowned CHBK have already been wiped out and some others are waiting for permanent deletion. Hence, a complete documentation of this colonial architecture is essential to keep up the priceless historic fabric of this place. The aim of this project is to develop a list of colonial buildings of Khulna and to conduct architectural documentation, analysis and conditional survey of these buildings. This includes development of plan, elevation, and section of the structures with a dataset of style, material and technique used in the construction. The colonial buildings will be categorized in descending order of importance according to BNBC guidelines. From the outcome of the study, a list of CHBK will be generated which will be shared to the DoA for conservation of these historic structures. Furthermore, the outcome of the research will contribute to enhance the tourism activities in this city and will satisfy the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11.4 “Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage”.

• Research Project