A Surat Flyover Underpass Has Been Reimagined As A Sports & Recreation Centre

In contemporary urbanism, the merit of a city lies not solely in its monuments or skyline, but in that intangible weave of spatial justice, inclusivity, and human-scale interaction that ties all of its facets together. The discourse of livable cities increasingly intersects with sociological and architectural theory — from Lefebvre’s right to the city, whereby every inhabitant claims a share in spatial production (Lefebvre), to legibility and coherence in the cityscape that fosters a sense of orientation and ownership (Kevin Lynch). These theoretical lenses insist that a city is truly livable when its design anticipates diversity, resists hierarchy, and recuperates the leftover and when its residual spaces become genial, democratic terrains that cultivate belonging, spontaneity, and civic energy.

Into this framework emerges The Under Space Revival in Surat: a purposeful reclamation of the interstice beneath a flyover. Here, in the confluence of schools, markets, residences, and retail, Aangan Collaborative LLP and the Surat Municipal Corporation transformed a neglected underbelly into a point of connection.

The designers reframe the underpass as a sports-cum-social spine, its surface articulated in textured stone chips that guide movement while ensuring safety. Sprinkled along this spine are micro-cement courts, draped in a skin of aluminium mesh and polycarbonate that's protective, sound-attenuating, yet still visually transparent. The design is tactile, open, and affirmatively socio-inclusive, accommodating an array of activities from table tennis, chess, and carrom to air hockey, snakes and ladders, bowling, and even box cricket. A marginal entry fees and open access dissolve barriers of class and age; school children, working adults, senior citizens all convene in this public commons.

Aangan Collaborative LLP, founded by architects Vishal Shah and Vishal Desai, has nurtured this civic sensibility across scales and typologies. Established in 2001 (as Aangan Architects) and reconstituted as an LLP in 2023, the practice is predicated on rooted innovation, and a one-stop vision spanning architecture, interiors, urban design, landscape, and sustainability. With accolades across India and an imperative toward socially resonant public work, Aangan’s repertoire includes multigenerational homes like Harshaangan, where gardens infiltrate living spaces, and the Kaaryashala studio, which finds beauty in reuse, climate-responsive design, and spatial warmth.

The rapid growth in cities often leaves little room for collective leisure. But The Under Space Revival demonstrates that meaningful design need not be monumental to be transformative. By recasting a flyover’s shadow into a locus of energy and interaction, the project shifts public perception of what constitutes valuable urban space. It stands as both cultural marker and a civic gesture — affirming that even the most overlooked fragments of the built environment can nurture community, dignity, and everyday joy.

Follow Aangan Collaborative LLP here.

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