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Earth Court Case Study 001

Upstate New York, US
2025“Sanctum” 


           

Designed and built by Kindred Studio, Sanctum is the first in a series of unique case study basketball courts, or ‘earth courts’, currently in the works. Set in the forest of upstate New York, Sanctum is a sculptural basketball court organically integrated into the natural landscape; a place that transforms rural woodlands into an experiential site for gathering, play, and collective well being. Utilizing a biophilic approach to landscape architecture, this proof of concept serves as a template for a greater vision - one that leverages basketball to foster community engagement and environmental stewardship. 

Imagined as a sacred space, Sanctum investigates the role and importance of public art, and its capacity to create impact and shape cultural identities. Infusing the beauty of nature with the simplicity of minimalist design and brutalism, it invites visitors to re-evaluate their relationship with nature and the natural world. Influenced by the Case Study house program of the mid-20th century, Sanctum exists as purpose-driven functional art, that demonstrates some of the ways in which basketball has been, and continues to be a driver of other things, and an aggregate for social impact.  

“Kindred Studio is reimagining the ways that art and sports work together to create impact. Using basketball as a beacon, Sanctum is a call back to nature and a prompt to get people back outside. As technology and our way of life through it advances, we need more alternatives— actionable ideas and physical spaces that can bring people together.”


- John Dennis | Kindred Studio Founder