The new Sardar Vallabhai Patel Indoor Stadium across from the
Haji Ali Mosque in Worli has been designed as a fresh architectural
focus point for Mumbai. Shashi Prabhu & Associates are the
architects and interior designers for this 10,000 capacity indoor
stadium.
The stadium complex is composed of 3 structures - a large indoor
stadium with a 90m diameter arena together with 4 surrounding ancillary
halls which support the function of the arena. A much smaller adjacent
'Sports Annex Building' houses 3 badminton courts, 4 squash courts,
table tennis tables and a large multi-purpose hall in addition to the
Sports Administration Building.
The two buildings are connected together with a basement encompassing
over 12 acres of land which can park almost 900 cars at any given time.
3 large chillers and a 5 MW power substation, housed in a separate
structure, are the heart of this complex. Chilled water pipelines from
this Service Building provide air-conditioning and power to the entire
complex.
The facade of this structure is clad in low-e double glazed glass
units and aluminium composite panels. At the roof level are 4 large
'double curved' glass petals which house over 600 pieces of glass units
that are individually measured and precision cut to size. The roof is
made up of 'Kalzip' aluminium composite roofing system and is
acoustically treated with 6 layered system which has glass insulation,
cement insulation board (e-board) perforated aluminium sheet and
standing seam aluminium roofing sheets.
After having designed over 60 stadia in India, the architect's
challenge was not the size of the structure but the sheer location and
the impact this complex would make on the city's skyline. With over 900
cars entering/exiting at a given time, the entry and exits to the
basements had to be strategically located which would distribute the
traffic and load on city roads.
Shashi Prabhu & Associates are currently designing the Interiors
of this mega complex, which is expected to be turned over to its members
in phased manner starting early next year.