The government decided to establish the National Institute of Water Sports in Goa, which is the largest Water Sports Institute in Southeast Asia. Ironically, Goa is the smallest state in India. 

This National Institute Is The Largest Water Sports Institute in Southeast Asia | 𝐌:𝐎𝐅𝐀 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨

India, as a developing country, is progressing at a significant pace. One of the primary indicators of development in any nation is its education quotient. Our education system is evolving in parallel to other markers such as finance and healthcare, and we have begun to prioritise forms of education. Although unconventional by global standards, they are highly relevant and rational within the regional context.

Largest Water Sports Institute

Goa, with 70% of its land along the coast, relies heavily on the sea for its economic growth. There’s a local saying: “In Goan blood, God mixed some sea salt too.” Apart from fishing and tourism being the key industries, marine tourism has also evolved as an independent stream over the years.

When it comes to public institutional architecture in India, governments tend to follow a more pragmatic and understated approach. Interestingly, in the case of the design for the National Institute of Water Sports in Goa, the state government released an international-level competition. It was with a dual purpose: firstly, to make a bold iconic statement that places Goa on a global map. Also as an expression that treats the institutional architecture beyond functional pragmatism.

State of The Art Facility

As the winning competition entry, we aimed to integrate the cultural and economic significance of water sports into education of this National Institute. This ensures state-of-the-art, globally competitive training and development for local lifeguards and tour operators.

With the use of local materials at ground level and a poetic expression of the floating roof, we wanted a balanced relationship between the local ethos and the global approach.

Zoning

We started by categorising the functional brief into bigger zoning chunks. While the institutional, administrative, residential, and recreational functions retained their individual zones, the space between them would be rather fluid and continuous. Therefore, creating these in-between subfunctions is essential for those informal interactions between various groups of people, defined by their roles on campus.

For the overall language, we searched for an expression that connects the architecture to its broader context of the sea and the Goan town that resides alongside it.

Functional and Dynamic

People perceive adventure water sports as a leisure activity, while institutes usually separate formal functions from informal ones. Surfers, who find thrills in the sea, temporarily disconnect from the rush in classrooms. We aimed to translate that adrenaline and the tension between the sea’s forces and the surfers. It was important to create this fine balance between practical day-to-day functionality and maintaining this constant dynamism. 

Building a project at this scale with an expression that gives due importance to this kind of institute in extremely tight government budgets came with its own plethora of challenges. The tight budgets and the lowest bid contract were two constraints that led us to adapt a systematic approach.

Right Materials and Technology

The fund distribution across the project had to be equity-based through the choice of the right materials. Moreover, the use of technology was needed to simplify construction methodology literally, like a child’s play. One part of the office dealt with bureaucratic clearances. The other part constantly simplified and innovated newer, simpler construction methods grounded in reality. 

The architecture for NIWS is inspired by 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, mimicking its nature. While, from the ground, within its spaces, it appears to be in constant motion with its shifting perspectives.

Multiple View Points

The eye doesn’t rest at a single point; with its multiple points of view and continuous movement spine, the architecture intends to blur the perceptible notions of its elements. The walls, floor plates, and roofs engage in a fluid dialogue at various points. Once rendered by the ever-changing play of light and shadows, this creates a tense, disruptive narrative for its users. It is like a theatre where motion is constant and pause is a search. The architecture thus becomes a conduit. Thus, it’s not a static structure but a lively inspiration for adventurers gearing up for water sports.

The building’s constant motion is captured through digital fabrication of the mega-roof structure clad using colour-coated roofing sheets, allowing cost control in a government project with a limited budget. Resolved as a grid-shell structure using trapezoidal panelling, 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 equalisation system.

Complex Digitally Fabricated Roof

Comprising more than 15000 pipes of varying length, the structure is constructed in smaller modules, large enough to be lifted and put in place manually. Over 5000 customised 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. The assembly creates continuous gutters, ensuring unobstructed water flow and making it one of the most complex digitally fabricated roofs in India.

Fact File

Designed by: 𝐌:𝐎𝐅𝐀 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨

Project Type: Institution Design

Project Name: National Institute of Water Sports

Location: Panjim, Goa

Year Built: 2023

Duration of the project: 6+ years

Project Size: 130,000 Sq.ft

Principal Architect: Ar. Manish Gulati

Team Design Credits: Abhishek Sorampuri, Anuj Mittal,  Saurabh Singla, Aakanksha Hajela, Tanushree Verma & Sonakshi Madan

Photograph Courtesy:  Vinay Panjwani

Products / Materials / Vendors: Wallcovering / Cladding – Steel Grey Granite, Zincalume Sheets from TATA Bluescope Lysaght / Construction Materials – Tubular sections from TATA Structura, Concrete from Lighting – Philips / Sanitaryware – JAQUAR / Facade Systems – Semi Unitized glazing developed in house using Jindal Aluminum sections and Low Emissivity Glass from Saint Gobain / Windows – Semi Unitized glazing developed in house using Jindal Aluminum sections and Low Emissivity Glass from Saint Gobain Furniture – Bon Ton / Flooring – Terrazzo flooring using local stones / Paint – Asian Paints

Consultants for the Project: Civil – Ramjidas Construction Pvt Ltd / Interior Designers – Virender Kumar & Associates / Landscape Architects – MOFA Studio (in-house) / MEP & HVAC Consultants – Engineering Consultancy & management Service / Structure Engineers – DELF Consulting Engineers / Lighting Designers – Uri Design Studio / Acoustics Consultants – MOFA Studio (in-house) / Environmental & Sustainability Consultants – Aditya Environmental Services Pvt. Ltd. / Project Managers – Jade Consultants / Quantity Surveyors – Jade Consultants / Interior Styling – MOFA Studio (in-house)

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