Preserving the sun
ECONOMY & POLICY

Preserving the sun

An American firm has secured a contract for initial restoration work on one of India's most famous temples - Sun Temple in Odisha.

Here is an international company with an extensive amount of experience in preserving historical structures. After having worked on notable buildings and landmarks across the globe - including Buckingham Palace, The White House complex and the Canadian Parliament Buildings - the company CINTEC Worldwide, a world leader in the field of structural masonry retrofit strengthening, repair, and preservation, recently secured a contract for initial restoration work on the Sun Temple in Konark, Odisha.

The Archaeological Survey of India has appointed CINTEC International to carry out detailed laser scanning of the 13th Century temple, counted amongst the country's most famous heritage structures. The scanning process, which will allow the monument's current structural condition to be ascertained, is expected to take around six weeks to complete. It is the first stage in an overall restoration contract that could be worth millions of pounds to the business.

At a glance

The Sun Temple on the east coast, around 3 km from the Bay of Bengal, is a UNESCO world heritage site and a popular tourist attraction, highly regarded for its impressive dimensions, balanced architecture and intricate decoration with detailed stone carvings. The temple's now collapsed tower is estimated to have been around 200 ft, taller than any other tower in India.

Preparation of such historically significant sites for repair work is an intricate and often lengthy process. Robert Lloyd-Rees, the CCO of North America, first traveled to the temple site in 2006 with members of staff from the Indian office. Several previous conservation and repair attempts have been initiated, dating from as early as 1838. The most serious took place between 1900 and 1905, where the temple porch was filled with sand to prevent its collapse.

Sun to shine

This restoration project will be the most in-depth ever attempted at the temple. Says Peter James, Managing Director, CINTEC, "We are delighted to be able to announce the start of this project to determine the Sun Temple's current condition, and how it is to be repaired. CINTEC has worked on projects around the world, and I am pleased to be able to bring this global expertise to India. We are confident that this initial screening will be the first stage of an ongoing contract to preserve this iconic temple. Our patented Archtec anchoring technology has been used to great success in a huge variety of repair and restoration projects, and I look forward to its implementation in stabilising this renowned world heritage monument.

Indian Solutions

While India seeks international expertise to preserve its heritage structures, Chetan Raikar, Chairman & Managing Director, Structwel Designers & Consultants, holds a different viewpoint. It was in his hands that Mumbai's historic CST head¡quarters, the shrine of Haji Ali and the restoration of the Taj in the city was tended. "A heritage structure like the Sun Temple does not require any international heritage conservation company to carry out restoration works," he says, further adding, "There are Indian companies including ours that have most of the non-destructive tests, materials and technologies that are used by foreign companies. In the 10th century, they utilised lime concrete or lime mortar and stone for building structures. Both, cement and lime have binding materials. In heritage structures, interlocking stones were also used. Physical interlocking also takes place through a process called ædovetailing.' In Mumbai, we have built the Haji Ali Dargah in marble and all these techniques have been used."

An American firm has secured a contract for initial restoration work on one of India's most famous temples - Sun Temple in Odisha. Here is an international company with an extensive amount of experience in preserving historical structures. After having worked on notable buildings and landmarks across the globe - including Buckingham Palace, The White House complex and the Canadian Parliament Buildings - the company CINTEC Worldwide, a world leader in the field of structural masonry retrofit strengthening, repair, and preservation, recently secured a contract for initial restoration work on the Sun Temple in Konark, Odisha. The Archaeological Survey of India has appointed CINTEC International to carry out detailed laser scanning of the 13th Century temple, counted amongst the country's most famous heritage structures. The scanning process, which will allow the monument's current structural condition to be ascertained, is expected to take around six weeks to complete. It is the first stage in an overall restoration contract that could be worth millions of pounds to the business. At a glance The Sun Temple on the east coast, around 3 km from the Bay of Bengal, is a UNESCO world heritage site and a popular tourist attraction, highly regarded for its impressive dimensions, balanced architecture and intricate decoration with detailed stone carvings. The temple's now collapsed tower is estimated to have been around 200 ft, taller than any other tower in India. Preparation of such historically significant sites for repair work is an intricate and often lengthy process. Robert Lloyd-Rees, the CCO of North America, first traveled to the temple site in 2006 with members of staff from the Indian office. Several previous conservation and repair attempts have been initiated, dating from as early as 1838. The most serious took place between 1900 and 1905, where the temple porch was filled with sand to prevent its collapse. Sun to shine This restoration project will be the most in-depth ever attempted at the temple. Says Peter James, Managing Director, CINTEC, "We are delighted to be able to announce the start of this project to determine the Sun Temple's current condition, and how it is to be repaired. CINTEC has worked on projects around the world, and I am pleased to be able to bring this global expertise to India. We are confident that this initial screening will be the first stage of an ongoing contract to preserve this iconic temple. Our patented Archtec anchoring technology has been used to great success in a huge variety of repair and restoration projects, and I look forward to its implementation in stabilising this renowned world heritage monument. Indian Solutions While India seeks international expertise to preserve its heritage structures, Chetan Raikar, Chairman & Managing Director, Structwel Designers & Consultants, holds a different viewpoint. It was in his hands that Mumbai's historic CST head¡quarters, the shrine of Haji Ali and the restoration of the Taj in the city was tended. "A heritage structure like the Sun Temple does not require any international heritage conservation company to carry out restoration works," he says, further adding, "There are Indian companies including ours that have most of the non-destructive tests, materials and technologies that are used by foreign companies. In the 10th century, they utilised lime concrete or lime mortar and stone for building structures. Both, cement and lime have binding materials. In heritage structures, interlocking stones were also used. Physical interlocking also takes place through a process called ædovetailing.' In Mumbai, we have built the Haji Ali Dargah in marble and all these techniques have been used."

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