The shape of water

In Goa, MOFA Studio designs the National Institute Of Water Sports

12 Nov 2024

It doesn’t take much to figure out how everything about the National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS) in Goa’s Panjim vies for attention.

Spanning nearly 1,30,006 sq ft and dubbed one of the largest water sports institutes in Southeast Asia, NIWS is inspired by the dynamic nature of the deep seas. “It (The establishment) is built like a mythical creature rising out of the Arabian Sea,” narrates Manish Gulati, lead architect at MOFA Studio, as he takes us through his recent undertaking, which was commissioned over to his design firm as the result of emerging as a winning entry at a government-run global gig.

When quizzed about the inspirations that served as the impetus behind the structure’s design, pat comes a rather unusual reply: “I searched for an expression that connects the architecture to its broader context, of the sea and the Goan town that resides alongside,” he says.

A view of the entrance bridge set adjacent to existing trees on site; Photography by Vinay Panjwani

An organic building form with diverse structural elements forms an outdoor plaza for the students to gather; Photography by Vinay Panjwani

Symbolic of a free-flowing wave

The building’s constant motion is captured through digital fabrication of the mega roof structure, made using colour-coated roofing sheets, enabling cost control in a government project with a limited budget. “With the use of local materials at the ground level, and a poetic expression of the floating roof, we wanted to strike the perfect balance between the local ethos and a global approach,” outlines Manish. Resolved as a grid shell structure using trapezoidal panelling; the 43,055 sq ft roof for NIWS drapes the entire complex like a free-flowing wave. It is designed as a lightweight structure with a pressure equalization system.

From the ground, within its spaces, the exteriors appear to be in constant motion with its shifting perspectives; Photography by Vinay Panjwani

The western facade of the administrative block features a granite louvered screen; Photography by Vinay Panjwani

“Work began by categorising the functional brief into bigger zoning chunks,” he tells us. The institutional, administrative, residential and recreational functions were retained in their individual zones, in order for the space between them to be rather fluid and continuous. “This in turn created these in-between sub functions that are essential for those informal interactions between various groups of people, defined by their roles on the campus,” adds Manish.

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; Photography by Vinay Panjwani

An Olympic size swimming pool is situated adjacent to the academic block; Photography by Vinay Panjwani

Capturing constant motion with shifting perspectives

Built to blur the perceptible notions of its elements, the architecture offers an illusion of being in constant motion with its shifting perspectives. “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,” suggests Manish, enthusing how the eye doesn’t rest at a single point, with its multiple points of view and continuous movement of the spine.

The entrance bridge opens up into the recreational block; Photography by Vinay Panjwani

A glass-covered bridge connects the admin and library block on the upper level; Photography by Vinay Panjwani

The assembly creates continuous gutters, ensuring unobstructed water flow and making it one of the most complex digitally fabricated roofs in India; Photography by Vinay Panjwani

Hurdling through twists and turns

Building a project at this scale, in an extremely tight Government budget, came with a set of challenges. “The tight budgets and the lowest bid contract, were two constraints that led us to adopt a systematic approach,” reveals Manish, citing how the fund distribution across the project had to be equity-based through the choice of the right materials, and the use of technology was needed to simplify construction methodology literally, like a child’s play.

While one part of the office dealt with bureaucratic clearances, the other part was constantly simplifying and innovating newer, simpler methods of construction closer to the hard ground reality.