Fact File

Name of project: National Bal Bhavan
Location: New Delhi
Typology: Sports Center
Area: 10,000 sq. ft.
Design Firm: Mixed Folios
Materials used: HPL cladding & HPL Jaali
Photo courtesy: Suryan//Dang
Ar. Arindam Chaudhuri and Ar. Prashant Srivastava
The design concept was to preserve the original style of the built form, while recycling the primary structure. The existing building portrayed energy efficiency through its good use of ventilation, durable material and its spatial relationship. Minor modifications helped meet the modern building requirements and codes

Ar Arindam Chaudhuri
Ar. Prashant Srivastava

The National Bal Bhavan in New Delhi is a modest sports centre, amalgamating the grace of the yesteryears with a contemporary finesse. Originally built and inaugurated by the late prime minister Pt. Jawarhar Lal Nehru in 1956, the structure is a witness to the thriving trends in the architectural field. Architects Arindam Chaudhuri and Prashant Srivastava at Mixed Folios re-invented the classic appeal of this archaic composition, supplementing it with a few innovative ideas of the modern-day design strategy.

The façade is of rubble masonry; and to support its magnificence, the rubble masonry was polished and complemented with additional elements such as jaali and laminated cladding - its wooden textures finely infused with the traditional style of the existing built form. These ancillary characteristics not only create a relevant and defined look but also helped conceal the existing services of the building.

This Sports center not only merges contrasting architectural patterns of two different eras but also successfully devises a relatable design ideology that promotes interaction of the users with the built-form.

National Bal Bhavan