Alphonseum

The preservation and restoration of Blessed Sr. Alphonse's birth home in Kudamaloor reflects a commitment to maintaining its historical and cultural significance. By incorporating traditional architectural elements like the 'Nalukettu' design and utilizing glass to showcase the home within the museum, its character and heritage are vividly preserved for visitors to appreciate.

Client

Anzera Millennium
Project Status

Completed
Project type

Heritage Buildings
Project location

Kottayam

The small home where Blessed Sr. Alphonse was born in Kudamaloor in Kottayam District, is a religious home today managed by nuns. When the Sisters approached us with the requirement of protecting the birth home of Blessed Sr. Alphonse, their idea was to roof the entire home in another shed and convert that in to a ‘Museum’. But we had a different approach to this. We convinced that the birth home should be preserved and restored to maintain its character. Putting a sheet above the existing home will result in loosing its character and the home will be a died object after that. Restoration and maintenance helped to keep the character of the home. To do the museum was the next challenge. We have resorted to the traditional ‘Nalukettu for the purpose.

The birth home of blessed Sr. Alphonse was kept in the centre courtyard and museum was build around it. Sufficient gap is kept around the old home and covered it with glass so that one can see the entire home once he is in the museum. So the home itself is the main exhibit in the museum. The detailing of the facade with Architectural wooden brackets and proportions takes one back to the period in which the original home was built, which was almost 100 years old.