Linxia Planned New Town, Linxia Olympic Sports

Located in the core area of Linxia Planned New Town, Linxia Olympic Sports Center Stadium covers an area of 41,134 square meters with a total construction area of 28,452 square meters. The building is composed of auditorium and international standard stadium. It is a large-scale sports facility with large and medium-sized sports competitions and training as its main function, taking into account the functions of leisure, fitness and entertainment of the citizens, with a total seating capacity of 20,410. The project has been completed and has become one of the landmark cultural facilities in Linxia.

▼ external view of the statium

▼ the stadium has become a landmark in Linxia

It is architectural inspirationthat derives from Linxia Hezhou’s characteristics such as peony, painted pottery and color decoration. The design uses the peony flower as the image theme and adopts the peony petal structure system whose outer petal is a thin shell space, which can be expressed as a reasonable long-span structure, and the shape is fairly beautiful. The shape is inspired by the arc of painted pottery, striving to integrate closely with the internal functional layout. We have designed a unified body with reasonable long-span structure and applicable space in order to embody the beauty of structure and logic so that the economy and comfort of large space can be realized.

▼ design concept

▼ the membrane structure on the architecture implies flower petals

According to the architectural image, the maximum cantilever of stadium canopy is up to 48 meters and utilizes the design of steel truss structure, where triangular steel pipe truss is positioned. The main truss is connected by the circular arc truss to simulate the “petals”in the architectural image. In order to ensure visual beauty, the main truss adopts uniform cross-section and fully fits the arc of the building so that the spectators can enjoy the wonderful events and appreciate the unusual charm of the long-span steel structure at the same time.

▼ external view of the stadium which canopy simulates petals

▼ structure diagram

▼ canopy and wide entrances supported by truss sturcture

▼ view of the city through the petal like openings

When it comes to the layout of function, the main entrance plaza is set on the east side of the stadium, and the concentrated green space is arranged at the northeast and southeast side combined with the outdoor sports ground and parking space. The stadium has four entrances, and the main entrance is on the Zheshuang Road on the east side of the base. There are two visitors’entrances, which are divided into pedestrian entrance and vehicle entrance. The main entrance of westward plaza is a pedestrian entrance with a certain distribution capacity. The design of the east entrance is mainly based on the vehicle traffic. On the south side of the planning road of the Olympic Sports Center, there are entrances and exits for VIPs, athletes and media reporters. If necessary, they can also be used as emergency evacuation points for spectators. The opening of Zheshuang Road on the east side and Longyan South Road on the north side of the base are mainly used as emergency evacuation exits for various personnel.

▼ diagram of the entrances

▼ circulation analysis

The exterior contour of stadium auditorium is elliptical plane so that the east and west stands with better visual distance quality can accommodate more spectators and maximize the number of spectators in the visual quality area. The ground floor of west stand is composed of rooms for athletes and referees, organizing committee, journalists and news centers. The second floor of west stand is mainly a rest platform for the audience. The space under the stand is designed with toilets, service rooms, equipment and other facilities. The ground floor of east stand is equipped with office space and commercial housing for external development. The rostrum is located in the central part of west stand, attempting to form a good sense of depth by disengaging from the general auditorium with the means of retracting and raising.

▼ inside the stadium

▼ night view

▼ view of the stadium during event

▼ plan

▼ section

Project location: Gansu, Linxia
Project owner: Government of Linxia
Project area: 28,400 square meters
Design: DUTdesign
Chief Architects: Zhong Ling
Architectural Design Team: Ahn Yunsil, Ellix WU, Sun Jinyin
Structural Design Team: Fang Xiang, Zhang Maoming
Photograph: Wu Qingshan