MAD, led by Ma Yansong, is building a "disappearing" stadium - Quzhou Sports Park. The project is located in Quzhou, Zhejiang. The park covers an area of ​​570,000 square meters, of which the total construction area of ​​the sports venues and supporting facilities is 390,000 square meters, including a 30,000-seat stadium, a 10,000-seat gymnasium, a swimming pool, a complex building complex, an outdoor training ground, an athlete service center and experience center, as well as a science and technology museum and a children's palace.

Competitive sports have a history almost as long as human urban civilization. It was born when humans faced the huge unknowns brought by nature, reflecting their own existence and cognition of functions, hoping to constantly explore and break through the limits. To a certain extent, the competitive spirit it represents has catalyzed modern society. Between people, between companies, between cities, and between countries, "competition" has become a catalyst for progress, but it also brings many disadvantages.

When designing a (or several) sports stadiums, the building should return to its essence as a "place where people gather and exercise", hiding the sense of power and muscle of the "arena", starting from the architect's imagination of the future of the city, bringing the competition of sports stars and the daily sports of people's lives to the same interface, so that the building itself and the construction skills "disappear" in people's behavior and higher spiritual pursuits, thereby inspiring the birth of a new urban civilization.

Aerial view of Quzhou Sports Park

MAD, led by Ma Yansong, is building a "disappearing" stadium - Quzhou Sports Park. The project is located in Quzhou, Zhejiang. The park covers an area of ​​570,000 square meters, of which the total construction area of ​​the sports stadium complex and supporting facilities is 390,000 square meters, including a 30,000-seat stadium, a 10,000-seat gymnasium, a swimming pool, a complex building complex, an outdoor affiliated training ground, an athlete service center and experience center, as well as a science and technology museum and a children's palace.

The project has now completed the overall in-depth design and is under construction. It is expected that the stadium construction will be completed in 2021. After completion, Quzhou Sports Park will become the world's largest earth-covered building complex.

Aerial view from the north side of the sports park to the south

From near to far, they are the comprehensive hall (near), swimming pool (left), gymnasium (right), and stadium (far)

Quzhou is a famous cultural city with a long history, beautiful scenery, and a forest coverage rate of up to 71.5%. The project site itself has natural slopes and lush vegetation. In MAD's design, the idea of ​​"sports park" was generated, which showed the greatest respect and consideration for the characteristics of the site itself, urban culture, the relationship between buildings, and the relationship between the building complex and the city boundary.

From the north side of the sports park, you can see the comprehensive hall and swimming pool, and see a corner of the athlete service center in the distance.

The building is hidden, the facade disappears, and it is covered by green plants, becoming the landscape itself. The white lines carve out new curves, part of which actually carries the function of pedestrian walkways. The slope of the facade happens to be a new place for citizens to exercise, climb, and climb, and the lawn on the gentle slope can also be a place for people to rest after exercise. This has become a new public space in the city.

Facade of Quzhou Sports Park Project

The large-scale single venue is integrated with the park, and combined with the slope of the plot itself and the winding trails, the layers are soft and three-dimensional, and the layout is well-organized. There are multiple platforms in the complex to enjoy the beauty of the park from different angles. At the same time, the skylight on the top of the building, which was originally used to introduce natural light into the room, has also become a new viewing point for citizens after climbing, breaking the boundary between indoor and outdoor.

30,000-seat stadium

Looking eastwards at the 30,000-seat stadium from the west side of the park

The huge stand structure of the 30,000-seat stadium is hidden, and the building volume disappears. The visually striking wind and rain cover on the top of the stadium abandons traditional design techniques. Through material selection and the design of the structural nodes themselves, in addition to satisfying practical functions, it also attempts to achieve a new aesthetic purpose. It becomes a device, like a cloud floating lightly above the stands, forming a reflection on the lake, which is a beautiful scene for citizens who are jogging or walking.

The design effect of the stands and windshield inside the stadium

The structural drop points from the windshield to the top of the stands are minimized to achieve the maximum span, allowing people to still feel like they are in a natural environment when watching the game.

The audience entrance corridor should be kept as clean and transparent as possible to give people the best viewing experience when entering the venue.

The audience entrance corridor and the stadium walls are made of exposed concrete.

Aerial view of the construction site: provided by Shanghai Baoye Quzhou Sports Center Project Department

The stand structure is currently under construction

1:1 sample section for testing the effect of the west wall and the overall exposed concrete material of the stadium

Sports stadium for 10,000 people in the mountains

Interior design of the 10,000-person gymnasium

The interior dome of the 10,000-person gymnasium hides the design details in the structure. The smooth roof adopts a concrete shell structure with a span of 130 meters. All sports lighting in the venue is integrated and embedded in the ceiling structure, which guarantees the simple and complete performance of the structural beauty to the greatest extent. In addition, the gymnasium has also carried out rigorous design and special considerations in acoustic design.

Sports lighting integrated into the ceiling structure

The entrance hall of the gymnasium during normal times (non-game time)

The design is consistent from inside to outside, and the form of the single building and the interior space are organically combined.

Swimming pool

Swimming pool interior

When designing the swimming pool, each main functional space is a separate "bubble". The three "bubbles" are combined together, and the center of the circle is kept on the same straight line, forming the space and structure of the entire building, and also creating a sense of sequence of continuous space. The sphere is kept in a perfect circle for economic considerations, minimizing the cost of the structure. The design echoes the element of water, "creating space and forming a whole", completing the design in the simplest and purest way, rather than considering interior decoration again with a new decorative logic.

"Bubble" swimming pool

The details of the venue lighting were also carefully considered in the design. Arc curves were arranged on the basis of ensuring the lighting function, echoing the "simple and pure" interior design concept, emphasizing the sense of sequence and the lines of the indoor dome. At the same time, multiple "holes" on the top fully introduce natural light.

Swimming pool interior

"Earth"

From south to north, a bird's eye view of the gymnasium, swimming pool, and comprehensive training hall

White lines, bicycle lanes, and pedestrian walkways intersect

Architectural skylights/viewing platforms, and indoor platforms are arranged in an orderly manner

In the planning of the park, MAD has designed and introduced a large number of bicycle lanes in addition to pedestrian walkways. One part is a fast lane that is combined with urban roads. Even daily commuters can pass through the park, shuttle through the woods, and feel the beautiful scenery. Another part of the fitness bicycle lane surrounds the venue, providing exercise venues and different ways of sightseeing, encouraging low-carbon travel, and hoping that the sports park is not a closed "theme park" and can truly integrate into the city and the daily lives of citizens.

General plan of Quzhou Sports Park

Complex technical problems will eventually disappear in aesthetic appeals and human behavior. With imagination as the driving force, the venues dedicated to competitive sports can also become leisure venues for people's daily lives, and the buildings can be integrated into the park and turned into landscapes, transcending practicality and functionality and expressing aesthetic appeals. It is competition, life, and art.

“Model of "Quzhou Sports Park"

Part of the model of "Quzhou Sports Park", a 30,000-seat stadium