PWD to release book on restoring heritage buildings

Lack of people with knowledge of traditional building methods motivated the department to commission such a book. PWD officials said that there are only about 2,000 workers in the State with experience in heritage buildings.

“The book has 100 pages with details of materials, their locations and the process. The Mughal wall plastering is the most complex work in the restoration of heritage buildings. The book would also have the details on the advantages of using traditional materials and how lasting they are,” said KP Sathyamurthy, Joint Chief Engineer, who is the author of the book.

“We will also add photographs of renovated government buildings as it would be easy for the readers to understand the process,” Sathyamurthy added.

There are about 80 heritage structures maintained by the PWD across the State. Four of them were recently renovated using techniques that are outdated and need special expertise.

The limestone to pack the bricks was sourced from Kazhugumalai near Tirunelveli and while the tiles used in these buildings were from Athangudi. Besides, they use only the sand from the Cauvery riverbank in and around Tiruchy.