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The Goa State Government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, launched an international design competition for the National Institute of Water Sports in Goa. NIWS aims to create an architectural icon that not only stands out boldly but also resonates with the local context while embracing a global appeal. The design approach focuses on fluid zoning, blending formal and informal spaces to foster interaction. Inspired by the dynamic nature of the sea, the architecture mimics trochoidal waves, symbolizing constant motion and tension. This motion is further captured in the digital fabrication of the roof, resembling a free-flowing wave, with over 5000 customized panels meticulously crafted for a seamless assembly.
The architecture for NIWS is inspired from the dynamic nature of the sea. It erupts, rises and folds into a series of trochoidal waves ready to engulf everything that comes its way. Viewed from above, it appears like a mythical creature born from the adjoining Arabian Sea, while, from the ground, it appears to be in constant motion with its shifting perspectives. The eye doesn’t rest at a single point, with its multiple point of views and continuous movement spine, the architecture intends to blur the perceptible notions of its elements. The walls, floor plates and the roofs indulge in this fluid dialogue at various points that once rendered by the ever-changing play of light and shadows, it creates this tense, disruptive narrative for its users like a theater where motion is a constant and the pause is a search.
The buildings have been oriented climatically to harness the incoming sea winds and the high roof within the classrooms with louvers at the upper level, the double roof over the hostels; all of it helps in creating the stack effect thereby reducing the use of air-conditioning drastically. Materials for finishing were decided on the basis of tight budgets and longevity to minimize the maintenance during the lifetime of the building. From the local granite dry louvered cladding (with air gaps between the structure and the cladding to reduce heat gain) to local laterite masonry walls, low emissivity glass that reflects 70% of heat and a lightweight double roof finished with low maintenance color coated Galvalume panels, the overall material palate contributes to reducing the overall carbon footprint.
The tight budgets and the lowest bid contract, were two constraints that led us to adopt a systematic approach. The fund distribution across the project had to be equity based through the choice of right materials and the use of technology was needed to simplify construction methodology literally, like a child’s play. The building's constant motion is captured through digital fabrication of the mega roof structure clad using color-coated roofing sheets, allowing cost control in a government project with a limited budget. Resolved as a grid shell structure using trapezoidal paneling; the 4000 Sq m. roof for NIWS drapes the entire complex like a free flowing wave. It is designed as a light weight structure with a pressure equalization system. Comprising more than 15000 pipes of varying length, the structure is constructed in smaller part modules, large enough to be lifted & put in place manually. Over 5000 customized roof panels, each with a unique shape and size, were CNC cut and folded to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle over the large parametric wave roof. As a public institute, it is the first of its kind of venture in Asia by the government. The fluid planning of the building allows us to create seamless movements within various functions through the use of ramps and bridges thereby making it inclusive for every user. Every part of the building including the pool can be accessed barrier free making mobility easier for everyone.
A clear design approach with a bold idea utilizing every local resource available with a systematic approach to its construction. We were looking for an expression that would integrate the cultural and economic importance of water sports into the educational fabric, ensuring that training and development for every local lifeguard to a tour operator in this field, is state of the art and globally competitive. With the use of local materials at the ground level and a poetic expression of the float
M:OFA is a design practice, based out of New Delhi that was established in 2007 as a team of highly trained & determined Architects & Planners with a global vision in Architecture Design , Urbanism and interior design. At M:OFA, architecture is treated as a living organism that changes, adapts itself and responds to every change around it. The architectural organism is a store house of energy where the energy resources are conserved and recycled to sustain itself. Every project throughout its lifecycle undergoes multiple layers of planning, design & realization. At M:OFA, every project is taken through these processes of back and forth through various simulations, case studies, exhaustive research, discussions and applications. M:OFA Studios specializes in Master-planning, Institutional, Recreational Clubs, Infrastructure projects, Housing, Residential and Retail / Offices.
