Archohm creates shuttlecock-shaped badminton centre in India
Architecture studio Archohm has unveiled The Shuttle badminton academy in Bhubaneswar, India, which was designed to look like a shuttlecock.
Located near Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, the venue was designed to draw attention to both the city and wider state of Odisha's focus on badminton.
Archohm designed the badminton centre with a bowl-shape form that resembles the cork head of a shuttlecock, while at night a series of lights evoke the feathers.
"The project aims to position the state of Odisha on the international badminton map to nurture world-class shuttlers," said Archohm principal architect Sourabh Gupta.
"The Shuttle, with its form, literally becomes the ideal representation of the vision of the city, of the state being the badminton capital," he told Dezeen.
"The idea was that the court shines every night like a beacon of hope, in the shape of a shuttle, with these rays on the rooftop when the public uses that space."
The academy was designed around a large, open hall that contains eight badminton courts overlooked by stepped seating.
Described as a "black box" by the architect, this space was raised onto the third floor, with the rest of the academy's facilities contained alongside it and in the base of the bowl and lit by skylights.
According to Archohm, this arrangement, along with the regions heavy rainfall, partly determined the rounded form of the building.
"The spherical outer shell has both practical and symbolic considerations," said Gupta.
"Not only does it offer structural resilience against the annual onslaught of cyclonic winds in Bhubaneswar but it also stands as a beacon of strength and resilience for the national academy," he continued.
"Badminton needs a black box where control of air, light and humidity is fundamental," Gupta said. "Completely opposite to that are the other quarters that need indirect light in this very warm and cyclone-prone city."
On the ground floor, the bowl-shaped form was wrapped in a double-height, glazed wall.
This space contains a publicly accessible cafe and sports shop, while the rooftop features a viewpoint for visitors to see across the city.
Overall, Gupta described the badminton centre as "mesmerising, fun and something that the city can never forget".
"The building is a visual spectacle that celebrates the academy's presence, a gesture marking Odisha's emergence as a prominent sports destination," he said.
"The icing on the cake is the rooftop. It is a massive – larger than a football field – open space on top of the roof with a shaded walkway to the city, something unforgettable."
Delhi-based Archohm has previously designed a wedge-shaped museum in Lucknow, northern India, dedicated to independence activist Jayaprakash Narayan and a crafts hub influenced by traditional Indian architecture.
The photography is by Noughts and Crosses.
Project credits:
Design: Archohm
Client: Dalmia Cement
Principal architect: Sourabh Gupta
Design team: Suboor Khan, Prachi Saxena, Yashvir Singh, Priyansh Seth, Vineet Rao, Rachna Sharma
Interior design: Archohm
Electrical: Archohm
Visual communication designers: Archohm
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