SHENYANG SPORTS CIVIC CENTER

Shenyang - China

This 123,000 square meter Civic Sports Center and National Games Taekwondo Arena is located in the heart of downtown Shenyang, adjacent to Zhongshan Park. The design features two interconnected entities: the Arena and the Sports Landscape.

The Sports Landscape features a cascade of stepped sports fields, pathways, and open spaces. Rather than being hidden in the rear of the building as in many sports facilities, these activities are public displays that become part of city life. The differentiated surface they compose becomes a long-span roof over indoor sports activities including a swimming hall, video game rooms, and saunas. The vast majority of the building program is contained inside the Sports Landscape, creating an overall economic strategy for the project.

Nestled into the hook-shaped figure of the Sports Landscape, the Arena is located at the busiest corner of the site. The Arena’s crystalline mass is distinct from the Sports Landscape, but the two buildings resonate formally as a combined urban figure. The Arena’s giant ETFE foil apertures daylight the interior space and act as windows to the city.

The cellular pattern of the Arena’s envelope is characterized by abrupt scale shifts. Although panels appear metallic, they are in fact synthetic fiber-reinforced composite panel, which allows for fabrication of both tiny and immense lightweight components. Thin-film solar panels are embedded into the roof and compose figural shapes visible from neighboring tall buildings.

Client: City of Shenyang/ Sports Authority
Type: Sports Civic Center, National Games Taekwondo Arena, Swimming Arena
Size: 123,000 SM
Status: First Place Competition Winner January, 2011
LDI: SADI

First Place Competition Winner