MALAKPUR AKHARA – EARTHMADE GYMNASIUM
Competition Entry
SITE AREA 77,300 SQFT FOOTPRINT AREA 59,350 SQFT LOCATION MALAKPUR, UTTAR PRADESH
Malakpur village, India is a folk wrestling hub and home to champions who have progressed from dangals (local tournaments) to national & international acclaim. Recent haphazard urbanisation & access to global sports media has increased youth aspirations rendering traditional akhara format redundant. To prevent social youth erosion, the community seeks a modern akhara for wrestling and kabaddi on mats, while hosting tournaments and drawings sponsorships and attention from professional leagues.
Earthmade Gymnasium aims to manage the transition from soil to mats and preserving the traditional relationships of the pehalwan to the akhara while empowering the skills of building rammed earth walls and bamboo-reinforced concrete to replicate akharas and rekindling connections. Sports facility comprising of three circular pavilions arranged around single story ancillary spaces made out of rammed earth. The site has an equal percentage of open and built spaces.
‘Earthmade Gymnasium’ brings forth the value in local and vernacular materials and construction techniques. The focus is on the strategic use of materials available in close proximity, as alternatives to mainstream construction materials emulated in the village. Further, the project engages multiple passive environmental strategies for thermal comfort, optimal daylight and ventilation to achieve low carbon footprint. The LCA calculations indicate that the building has an emission factor of 322 Kg CO2e/m2. The construction techniques used are an interpretation of conventional building techniques known to the locals, for the ease of transferability.
Earthmade Gymnasium, an international wrestling and kabaddi arena, amidst the earthy and agricultural landscape of Malakpur. Transforming the village from a longstanding traditional folk
wrestling hub into a relevant, vibrant, aspiring modern regional centre.
