CREATING WAVES IN SPORTS ARCHITECTURE

Through MOFA Studios, Manish Gulati is creating sports infrastructures that are both iconic and sustainable, setting the stage for India's athletic future.

In the light of the recent Olympics, a lot of attention has been diverted to sports and the question, “When will India host the Olympics” has been often heard. Baby steps, I believe. But did you know India has an architectural firm that is dedicated to designing sports facilities? Called MOFA studios with Architect Manish Gulati at the helm, MOFA has been designing sports projects since 2006. They won competitions to design a Shooting and an Equestrian Academy in Bhopal, and since then there has been no looking back. International/ national level stadia and sports academies within multiple cities, leading up to urban planning of sports infrastructure at an entire city level for the Kerala National Games have established MOFA as one of the sports specialists in India.

SUMISHA GILOTRA chats with the man who loves to play on larger scales and believes that designing sports architecture is a fun puzzle that needs resolution and at the same time a romantic maze where multiple possibilities lie at the end. Let’s get chatting with Ar Manish Gulati!

What drew you to specialise in this particular field of architecture?

Right from my days at CEPT as a student of architecture, I was drawn to larger scales. I always wanted to establish MOFA as a specialist in public architecture and designing urban environments. Whether it’s a public Institution or a sports infrastructure project, we approach all projects with the same fervour and passion. Sports projects, especially with their added rules and strict guidelines to design, make the project design more challenging and get a design language that’s poetic yet adheres strictly to the rules defined by the sports’ governing bodies. It is a fun game to play!

What is MOFA Studio’s approach to architecture?