Exposé
Mauritius is an island nation which consists of Mauritius and three other island and having capital named Port Louis in honour of King Louis XV. The city experienced various settlements, mainly the French and the British, from 1715 until its independence. During the colonisation period, many architectural marvels have been constructed. Today, those buildings are still standing, despite that some of them are in ruins. Amidst those buildings are positioned other buildings with new architectural facets.
The most influential building during colonisation period are Le La Bourdonnais Hospital, the Government House which was later on amended by the British, the Central Market, the Municipal Theatre, the Post Office, and the Jummah Mosque. All of the buildings cited above were constructed using local materials to adapt to the tropical conditions of the island, with the workmanship of slaves from Africa and India. The architecture of the buildings highlights primarily the Georgian style with a touch of creole style, except for the Jummah Mosque which proves to be more of Islamic architecture.
After independence, Port Louis city started to develop in such a way that the built environment changed from colonial style to Brutalist architecture, which at that time was fashionable, and also because concrete was a cheaper and more workable material than stones. With this emergence of modernism to increase the financial status of the country, the local identity is partly taken into consideration. This thesis emphasizes on interviews from professionals, businesses in Port Louis, and the young generation to give their opinion on modernism in general.
Briefly, Port Louis is developing in such a way that it is not taking into consideration the historical and cultural aspect of the patrimony of the country. Moreover, with the dawn of smart cities, if not well planned, might kill it at one go, and leaving behind the pockmarks of slums in the outskirts of the city. However, with smart city planning, city issues might be resolved for the betterment of the citizens.
Below are the links to several parts of the exposé on Port Louis:
Old Port Louis: Part I
Old Port Louis: Part II
The Major Buildings of Port Louis
The most influential building during colonisation period are Le La Bourdonnais Hospital, the Government House which was later on amended by the British, the Central Market, the Municipal Theatre, the Post Office, and the Jummah Mosque. All of the buildings cited above were constructed using local materials to adapt to the tropical conditions of the island, with the workmanship of slaves from Africa and India. The architecture of the buildings highlights primarily the Georgian style with a touch of creole style, except for the Jummah Mosque which proves to be more of Islamic architecture.
After independence, Port Louis city started to develop in such a way that the built environment changed from colonial style to Brutalist architecture, which at that time was fashionable, and also because concrete was a cheaper and more workable material than stones. With this emergence of modernism to increase the financial status of the country, the local identity is partly taken into consideration. This thesis emphasizes on interviews from professionals, businesses in Port Louis, and the young generation to give their opinion on modernism in general.
Briefly, Port Louis is developing in such a way that it is not taking into consideration the historical and cultural aspect of the patrimony of the country. Moreover, with the dawn of smart cities, if not well planned, might kill it at one go, and leaving behind the pockmarks of slums in the outskirts of the city. However, with smart city planning, city issues might be resolved for the betterment of the citizens.
Below are the links to several parts of the exposé on Port Louis:
Old Port Louis: Part I
Old Port Louis: Part II
The Major Buildings of Port Louis
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