Zaha Hadid Architects design chosen for new Hangzhou International Sports Centre

November 9, 2022

Globally acclaimed architecture practice, Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been announced as the winner of the competition to design the new Hangzhou International Sports Centre.

The plan for the development in the capital of China’s Zhejiang province incorporates a 60,000-seat football stadium and practice pitches, a 19,000-seat indoor arena, as well as an aquatics centre with two 50-metre pools.

The sports centre includes a new riverfront park and public plazas with direct access to Lines 3 and 5 of the developing city’s metro network. It is situated within Hangzhou’s Future Science and Technology Cultural District.

One of the world’s leading centres of e-commerce, Hangzhou is home to many of China’s largest technology companies, which attract IT professionals and entrepreneurs from across the country to live and work in the city.

Accommodating the city’s growing population, the Hangzhou International Sports Centre’s design provides a variety of facilities for grassroots players to professional athletes. The compact design of each venue, together with their orientation and composition, allows almost half of the site to be transformed into new public spaces for the city.

Integral to the district’s urban plan and the natural landscapes along the riverbank, the Centre incorporates new parks and gathering places for events, recreation and relaxation.

Football Stadium
As the largest venue within the new precinct, the 135,000 metre² football stadium is situated on the eastern side of the site, with the indoor arena and aquatics centre located to the west and south of the stadium, connected by the centre’s layered podium that weaves through the site

Designed to FIFA standards, the stadium’s seating bowl is configured to bring spectators as close as possible to the field of play and ensure excellent, unrestricted views from every seat; creating an intense matchday atmosphere for players on the pitch and fans seated throughout the stadium.

The stadium’s louvred façade blurs the boundary between interior and exterior. The louvres’ materiality and detailing give the stadium a stratified, geological appearance of solidity when viewed from nearby. When viewed from a distance, the louvred façade becomes transparent, connecting the public spaces beneath the stadium’s seatng bowl with the city.

With a capacity of 19,000 seats, the 74,000 metre² indoor arena can operate independently to the stadium and is designed with maximum operational flexibility to host many of China’s most popular spectator sports, such as basketball, in addition to large music and cultural events.

Situated on the western edge of the park, the 15,000 metre² aquatics centre incorporates two 50-metre pools suitable for competitions, training and teaching at all levels from beginner to elite swimmers and divers. Accommodating district-level competitive events with up to 800 spectators, the pools can also host local schools for lessons, ensuring many thousands of children each week will learn the essential life skill of swimming.

Green Building Program
Located within the warm temperate climate of Hangzhou, the International Sports Centre has been designed to the highest 3-Star rating of China’s Green Building Program with each venue providing optimal conditions using natural hybrid ventilation most of the year.

The stadium’s louvred façade blurs the boundary between interior and exterior. The louvres’ materiality and detailing give the stadium a stratified, geological appearance of solidity when viewed from nearby

Annual solar irradiation analysis has determined the composition of the façade’s external louvres while photovoltaics will harvest solar power for all venues. Ground heat exchange and recovery systems will ensure the most efficient operations of all facilities.

To reduce the embodied carbon throughout the project, ZHA’s optimisation processes minimise the amount of materials required for the structure and are integrated with local supply chains and procurement systems that have been developed to increase the recycled and recyclable content.

In contrast to the single-use programming of most large stadiums that only welcome visitors on match days and act as an obstruction to the city’s urban fabric when not in use, the many varied sporting, recreational and leisure facilities of Hangzhou International Sports Centre, in addition to its public plazas and riverfront park, ensure the centre will be a popular gathering place for its community.

The 19th Asian Games are due to be held in Hangzhou After severl postponements a date for their scheduling is yet to be confirmed.

Images show concepts for the new Hangzhou International Sports Centre. Credit: Zaha Hadid Architects, renderings by Plomp.

search ausleisure

AusLeisure

Latest News