Kolkata based architecture and design practice, Abin Design Studio, were announced as winners for the invited competition for “PAHAL-Takshila’s Initiative for Sports”. Abin Design Studio was among the six invited reputed architecture practices from India, which included Sameep Padora and Associates, Archohm Studio, ArchitectureRED, SpaceMatters, and, Hundredhands.
Winning entry by Abin Design Studio
“Pahal” stands as a testament to the transformative power of purposeful development. As Nelson Mandela once said, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”
Abin Design Studio
Abin Chaudhury, Principal at Abin Design Studio, shared,
“We found the vision very inspiring. The site offers ample land; however, the design has yet to be structured effectively. One of the most intriguing aspects of this particular location is its proximity to a river, which features a floodplain that fluctuates, creating a sense of linearity.Additionally, the acquired land plays a significant role in guiding the overall design of the project, as seen in other successful designs. The project brief is notably modest, making it manageable to implement. We believe that this type of infrastructure has the potential for future replication.”
About the Competition & PAHAL–Takshila’s Initiative for Sports
The competition was organised by Takshila Education Society, to envision a campus for “PAHAL– Takshila’s Initiative for Sports” on a sixty-acre site in Koilwar, Bihar. The Master Jury included, Brinda Somaya, (Founder and Principal Architect, Somaya & Kalappa Consultants), Prem Chandavarkar, (Managing Partner, CnT Architects), and, Sudhanshu Roy (Executive Director (Retd). National institute of sports Patiala. Sports Authority of India),
Sanjiv Kumar, from Takshila Education Society, shared, “PAHAL, was originally visualised as a place for setting up a university. With that intention land in Koliwar, Bihar, was acquired. Goa based Studio Matter helped with creating a program for the project.”
Convener, Ruturaj Parikh, from Studio Matter, Goa, mentioned,
“Takshila Educational Society has decided to set up a large Sports Training Facility at Koilwar (40 km west of Patna) on a 70-acre campus. The project, titled “PAHAL – Takshila’s Initiative for Sports,” will be a unique campus featuring training facilities for numerous indoor and outdoor sports. Once the campus is complete and ready for use (we expect the first phase of the project to become functional by October 2027), it will be operated by a new entity – “Takshila Sports Foundation” – which has been specially established for the promotion of sports in India.
After acquiring land at Koilwar, we spent a year drafting the program and brief for the proposed facility. We then organized an invited national architectural competition for the design of the facility. The campus will have indoor and outdoor sports facilities, an endurance center, labs, housing for sports persons, coaches, administrative and support staff, a cafeteria, library, nursery, and more. Six reputed architecture firms participated in the competition upon our invitation. Once we received the proposals from the selected architectural firms, we set up a master jury consisting of two senior architects and a sports administrator. The final jury was hosted in Goa on July 18 and 19, 2024, where each team presented their plan with projections, drawings, and models. After the formal jury presentation by all participants, the jury announced its decision today and awarded the citation to Kolkata-based architectural firm “Abin Design Studio.” “Hundredhands” from Bengaluru was declared the runner-up.”
The Jury made the following comment on Abin Design Studio’s entry
“The masterplan seems acutely aware of the fragile location of the land close to the flood-plains of the Sone. With a consideration that a maximum of ten percent of this sixty-acre site would eventually be utilised for the built programme, this crucial aspect of design thinking (and a convincing resolution as presented) makes a strong case for the future of the project irrespective of the changing nature of the land’s geometry and functional obligations for the architecture.”
Full presentation of Abin Design Studio’s entry
Presentation for PAHAL-Takshila's Initiative for Sports, by Abin Design Studio by ArchitectureLive on Scribd
The full statement by Jury on the winning entry and the runner-up entry by Hundredhands in below.
Also watch, PAHAL Overview by Studio Matter, below:
