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Beyond the Game:
Adaptive Arenas for Tomorrow
Designaddvance is inviting all undergraduate and post-graduate students and young professionals of Architecture, Planning, Engineering, & Design from around the globe to propose innovative designs solutions for multi-purpose arenas that embrace flexibility, reversibility, and sustainability, responding to shifting social, cultural, and economic landscapes by integrating technology, materials, and structural innovations that enable adaptability over time.
Registrations Open from:
28 April 2025
Premise:
“In the past, Olympic host cities spent billions of dollars on grandiose structures that soon become “white elephants.” Montreal’s “Big O” Olympic stadium, used for the 1976 games, currently costs the Canadian province about $32 million to maintain each year and has never been able to pay for itself, despite its afterlife hosting trade shows and movie shoots. More recently, Athens and Rio de Janeiro each saw their Olympic venues deteriorate soon after the games concluded”.
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-Josh Horwitz, 2018 for the Quartz
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Thousands of years ago, the world’s first arenas came to life—not for cricket or concerts, but for something far more primal.
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PICTURE THIS...
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The roaring crowds of ancient Rome, packed into the Colosseum, cheering as gladiators clashed under the open sky. Meanwhile, in Dholavira, India, one of the world’s oldest terraced arenas stood tall—a vast space that may have hosted sports, ceremonies, or grand communal gatherings. Recreation wasn’t just a pastime; it was a spectacle, a celebration, a shared human experience that brought people together across cultures and centuries. But while their scale was impressive, their purpose was singular.
Fast forward through time, the idea of mass entertainment spaces only grew stronger. Times changed. Audience wanted more. Cities grew denser, entertainment diversified, and stadiums couldn’t just sit idle between matches, waiting for the next big game.
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The demand for multi-functional, adaptable venues has become essential. Imagine a cricket stadium transforming overnight into a pulsating concert arena, or an esports battleground by the day and a theater of immersive storytelling by night, or a modular stadium like Qatar’s FIFA Stadium 974 built from shipping containers, ready to be relocated and repurposed.
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India is already witnessing this shift. DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai and Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad—once dedicated to cricket—became electrifying music venues for Coldplay in 2016 and 2025. The grounds outside Ekana Stadium, Lucknow recently hosted an architecture festival, while the Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi set the stage for the first Kho Kho World Cup. This shift from strictly sports-oriented stadiums to versatile, multi-use arenas highlights the rising potential of adaptive venues—now more than ever in India and across the world.
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The "Beyond the Game: Adaptive Arenas for Tomorrow" invites students to imagine the future of sports and entertainment venues. Picture arenas that shift, transform, and adapt—one day a cricket ground, the next day a film festival, and the next, a tech expo or a floating performance stage.
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THE CHALLENGE?
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To design spaces that are not just multifunctional, but also sustainable, accessible, and future-proof. Think modular structures, smart designs, pop-up stadiums, and flexible event spaces that cater to a globalized and diverse society.​​​
The Design Task:
Participants are challenged to design multi-purpose arenas that are flexible, adaptable, and reversible—spaces that can transform, relocate, or disassemble as needs change. The design should cater to both large events and small gatherings, ensuring seamless functionality, accessibility, and sustainability.
Site & Context:
The site should be centrally located and seamlessly integrated with existing urban infrastructure, ensuring accessibility for large crowds via strong public transport links and adequate parking. Environmental factors such as climate and cultural significance should be considered to create a functional and contextually relevant space.
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The proposed site should be set in a thriving urban environment—a city where culture, sports, and entertainment converge, demanding versatile, multifunctional arenas. While India’s rapidly growing metros—Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bengaluru, Kochi, Chennai, or Hyderabad—are prime examples, participants are free to choose any city, in India or globally, as long as the urban location justifies the given design problem.​​​​
Area Requirements:
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Total Area: The proposed site for the arena should span at least 10–15 acres, capable of hosting large gatherings of up to 40,000 spectators for major events.
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Built-up Area: The proposed design should include a built-up area of approximately 25,000–35,000 square meters, covering the main arena, support facilities, and flexible spaces like public lounges, VIP areas, and temporary event zones.
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Functional Zones: The arena should be designed for versatility, seamlessly supporting a variety of sports and functions, including—but not limited to—the following:
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Main Arena: A highly adaptable central space for sports and non-sporting events, ensuring a reconfigurable playing field or event space.
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Support Facilities: Locker rooms, media rooms, medical centers, VIP lounges, hospitality suites, and restrooms, designed for both sporting and entertainment functions.
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Back-of-House Spaces: Storage, technical booths, and setup areas for concerts, performances, and large-scale productions.
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Public & Retail Areas: Concession stands, food courts, retail spaces, and community gathering zones for an engaging visitor experience.
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Green Spaces and Open Areas
Design outdoor spaces as dynamic extensions of the arena—ideal for pop-up events, festivals, and exhibitions. These areas should be adaptable for temporary installations, ensuring the arena remains vibrant and active even when not in use for major events.
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Design Considerations:
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Adaptability and Multi-functionality: The arena must seamlessly adapt to diverse event formats—sports, concerts, exhibitions, festivals, public gatherings, emergency shelters, etc.—while responding to different audiences, locations, and social needs. Use flexible design elements—retractable seating, modular flooring, movable partitions, and adaptable stages—to enable effortless reconfiguration for different events, while ensuring spatial efficiency.
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Scalable Seating & Crowd Management: The seating design should flexibly accommodate diverse event sizes, ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 spectators. Tiered seating, telescopic stands, and optimized sightlines should ensure clear visibility, while intelligent crowd flow management and well-planned entry/exit systems enhance safety and convenience.
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Universal Accessibility & User Experience: The design must be inherently inclusive, seamlessly integrating ramps, elevators, tactile navigation, and designated spaces for people with disabilities. It should ensure a frictionless experience for users of all ages, abilities, genders, and conditions, making the arena truly accessible for everyone.
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Sustainability & Climate Responsiveness: Considering India’s diverse climate, integrate passive strategies—natural ventilation, shading, and heat-resistant facades to enhance energy efficiency and reduce reliance on air conditioning. Sustainable elements like solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and locally sourced, eco-friendly materials that minimize the environmental footprint must be considered.
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Ephemeral, Reversible & Circular Design: The arena should enable disassembly, relocation, and material reuse, moving beyond permanent construction. Use prefabricated components, modular structures, and structural systems that allow the arena to evolve, exist temporarily, vanish without a footprint, or be dismantled and relocated partially or entirely. Beyond major events, the arena must stay active, fostering year-round community engagement.
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Cultural Sensitivity & Architectural Identity: The design should embody regional cultural narratives, integrating local traditions, architecture, and aesthetics. It must serve as a landmark that deeply connects with the community while maintaining global appeal.
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Smart Infrastructure & Digital Integration: The arena should integrate state-of-the-art technology to elevate both spectator experience and operational efficiency. Features like dynamic LED lighting, advanced sound systems, AI-driven logistics, digital ticketing, mobile app-based navigation and services, and high-speed Wi-Fi will ensure it is future-ready.
Eligibility:
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The competition is open to all Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students, as well as young professionals from the fields of Architecture, Planning, Civil Engineering and Design, globally.
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Recent graduates and young professionals (who are practicing) are also eligible, only if they have graduated in the year 2023 or later.
Evaluation Criteria:
Submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
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Site Selection & Contextual Understanding: The arena must respond to the chosen site’s urban, social, and climatic context, reflecting local architectural identity and cultural influences. It should serve as a landmark that balances global relevance with local roots.
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Adaptability & Functionality: Is the design practical in terms of materials, structural integrity, and real-world execution? Prefabrication, modularity, and efficient construction methods should be considered within realistic budget constraints.
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Feasibility & Constructability: How effectively does the arena transition between different event types (sports, concerts, exhibitions, etc.)? The design should allow scalability and seamless reconfiguration for various audience sizes and events.
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User Experience & Accessibility: Prioritizing universal accessibility, the design should ensure easy navigation, seating comfort, and engagement for all users—spectators, performers, and differently-abled individuals.
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Innovation & Creativity: Does the design push the boundaries of traditional arena architecture? It should integrate reversible, modular, and flexible elements while offering a unique, forward-thinking vision for multi-purpose arenas.
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Sustainability & Environmental Responsibility: A strong focus on passive design, energy efficiency, sustainable materials, and resource management to minimize environmental impact and carbon footprint through eco-friendly solutions.
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Smart Infrastructure & Digital Integration: Does the design leverage advanced tech like AI-driven logistics, digital ticketing, and real-time crowd management? A strong emphasis on smart lighting, acoustics, and high connectivity ensures a future-ready venue.
Team Composition:
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A maximum of three members per team is permissible.
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Participants may make teams with students from different academic years of study, colleges or even courses of Undergraduate or Postgraduate disciplines. However, at least one of the team members must be a student of architecture or a practicing architect who has graduated in the year 2023 or later.
Timeline:
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Registrations Open: April 28th, 2025
Registrations Close: October 16th, 2025
Submissions Close: October 29th, 2025
Submission Requirements:
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Concept Narrative: Explanation of how the design embodies
ephemerality and temporality on a single A4 page as a pdf, named in
the format <Code_Statement>. -
Presentation (PDF): 5-7 sheets in 16:9 ratio, landscape orientation, 200 to 300 DPI, with the design process and the drawings (architectural drawings, renders, construction details & assembly/disassembly process, sustainability features, area and energy calculations, etc.) in a suitable graphical scale.
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List of Materials and Construction Details: Specify the reversible components and technology used, as well as the environmental impact, in 1-2 sheets within your presentation.
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Master Plan: Overall layout and flexibility strategies.
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Visual Representations: Renderings, diagrams, and adaptive transformation sequences.
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Technical Drawings: Structural and material considerations for reversibility.
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Name the pdf as <Code_Presentation>.
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Video Presentation: A recorded presentation of under 5 minutes duration explaining the project to be uploaded in the submission folder/link provided. Name the recording as <Code_Video>.
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Letter of Declaration (PDF): A letter of declaration signed by the participant(s) shall be included. (Format linked here) Name the PDF as <Code_Letter>.
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All entries shall be scrutinized for evidence of plagiarism. Acknowledge references and design ideas that have been adapted from sources in the submission.
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It is recommended, though not mandatory, that drawings/graphics be developed using Autodesk Revit and auxiliary Autodesk BIM tools. The sheets may include plans, sections, elevations, 3D views, joinery details, Dynamo scripts, and anything else that would help communicate the idea better.
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Participants’ names must not be mentioned anywhere, only the submission code provided must be mentioned in the top-right corner of the documents.
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The Autodesk Docs link for uploading the entry will be communicated to the participants after registration before the competition closes.
Awards:
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Cash Prizes for the top three winners:
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1st: ₹ 75,000/-
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2nd: ₹ 50,000/-
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3rd: ₹ 25,000/-
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Top 10 entries to be published on our website.
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Top 3 winners get free entry to ARKANCE IN BIM for Design Program (120 Hours) worth ₹ 80,000/-
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All participants who have submitted the entries will get a discount voucher of 40% on the BIM for Design Program.
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E - Certificates for all participants who have submitted competition entries
Knowledge Resources by ARKANCE IN :
All Designaddvance 2025 registrants will get access free of cost to online Self-Learning Modules and Webinars by experts in sustainability, Industrialised Construction, BIM, energy simulation, and building innovations, conducted at regular intervals. This will help the teams understand concepts and best practices for high-performance buildings. For more info, stay tuned at: https://www.designaddvance.in
Resources and Suggested Reading:
Competition Partner
Technology and Knowledge Partner
