Four Courts on a Hillside

Once you leave Dehradun's eastern edge, the Mussoorie road climbs steadily. The academy sits on a spur of the ridge at around 2,200 feet — not dramatically high by Uttarakhand standards, but high enough that the access road narrows to a single vehicle width. In October, when this project began, the temperature was dropping below 10°C by 5 PM.

The academy's director had been building this institution for four years. He had trained coaches at the national level. He had a waiting list of 40 students for the next intake. But the thing is, without tournament-hosting capability, the academy could not attract the funding, the visibility, or the coaching talent the next phase required. Four courts, properly built to BWF dimensions — that was the line between a training academy and a tournament venue.

The access problem came up during the site survey. The road from the main gate to the court area had been widened the previous year to take construction vehicles — but only to 8 feet. A standard delivery truck loaded with tiles could reach within 200 metres of the site and no further. From there, the gradient steepened and the road narrowed around a switchback that no loaded vehicle could navigate.

PP interlocking tiles were the only viable surface option for this site — and not just because of the access problem, though they solved that too. The real reason was Dehradun's climate. The city sits in a valley that collects moisture from both the Himalayan foothills and the plains below. Winters are cold and damp, monsoons are sustained and heavy. An acrylic surface without a perfectly controlled PCC cure — which is very difficult to achieve in cold temperatures — risks microcracking within two seasons. PP tiles, on the other hand, are dimensionally stable across the full temperature range this site would see: from -2°C in January to 36°C in June.

The four-court layout used an alternating colour scheme: Blue for Courts 1 and 3, Dark Green for Courts 2 and 4. The alternation was the director's idea. It lets players identify their assigned court at a glance from the changing room, and it photographs with the kind of visual interest that works well for social media. At a tournament, spectators know which court they are watching without checking a board.

The human carry was planned as a proper relay — not improvised labour. A crew of 14 workers: 8 carriers, 4 handlers at the truck, 2 on-site stackers. Tiles moved in batches of 20 per trip across a 200-metre uphill path. At an average pace of 12 minutes per round trip, the crew moved all 5,200 tiles plus kerbs and accessories in two days. The director arranged a rest tent and lunch for the crew. The workers noted that the view from the top, at the end of each carry run, was worth the climb.

Day 1 was reconnaissance. Our site lead walked the access path twice and timed both directions. He counted the switchback, noted where the path was uneven, and planned the carry route with specific rest points. The decision to move 20 tiles per carrier load — roughly 18 kg — rather than larger batches was made on that first walk. "You can manage 18 kg uphill for 200 metres," he said. "You cannot manage 30."

The base slab, poured by a local contractor two weeks earlier, was inspected on Day 2. Three issues found: a low point near Court 3's far baseline, a minor slope on Court 2's south half, and a construction joint running incorrectly across Court 4's centre line. The first two were fixed with self-levelling compound. The third needed a partial re-pour of a 3-metre strip — a half-day job that pushed Court 4's tile installation back by one day.

Days 3–4 — The carry crew. Fourteen workers, 200 metres of hill path, 5,200 tiles. Two days to complete the relay. Before leaving, the crew asked for a team photograph.

Day 8 — Court 1 taking shape. The Blue tiles against the Dehradun hillside in October have an unexpectedly alpine quality.

Day 11 — Court 2 complete in Dark Green. The alternating Blue-Green layout works as visual wayfinding when players are moving between courts.

Day 21 — All four courts from above. Blue, Dark Green, Blue, Dark Green. The first time the academy director had seen the full layout from altitude.

All images are illustrative placeholders. Actual project photographs will be published after client review.

Handover happened on a Tuesday afternoon in late October. Dehradun's October is the best month — clear skies, 18°C, no humidity. The director walked each court, played a short rally on Court 1 with his senior coach, and said the surface was better than he had expected. "I expected it to feel like tiles," he said. "It feels like a court."

Thirty days after handover, the academy hosted its first district-level badminton tournament. Eight academies from across the Uttarakhand foothills participated — teams from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Roorkee, and Dehradun city itself. Fifty-four players competed over two days. All four courts ran from 8 AM to 6 PM both days. Not a single tile shifted. Not a single complaint about the surface from any player or coach.

The tournament was covered by two regional sports publications. The aerial photograph — Blue and Dark Green alternating against the hillside — was picked up by a national badminton federation newsletter. The next intake opened with 120 registered students and a waiting list the director is now figuring out how to manage.

Product specifications: PP Interlocking Tiles at ₹70/sqft (supply). Kerbs at ₹25/piece, corners at ₹15/piece. 5-year warranty, 15+ year lifespan. Colors subject to availability; made-to-order colors carry a 14-day lead time. Court dimensions are BWF standard (1,300 sqft per court with run-off). All project details shared with academy's consent. Institution name withheld at client request.