Xi’an International Football Centre, China
Zaha Hadid Architects has designed the new Xi’an International Football Centre, to be ready by 2023, in time for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup. Set to be built in the Fengdong business district of Xi'an, one of China's oldest cities, the stadium will contain 60,000 seats, along with a mix of public dining and entertainment facilities and also be used to host other national, international and domestic league games, alongside training academies, performances and cultural events.
Integrated within the orthogonal urban grid of Fengdong's business district, the stadium's open facades invite the city into the heart of the building to enjoy its public spaces, recreation and dining facilities throughout the day. The remainder of the stadium's facade will be composed of giant columns and cladding with "sweeping lines" that will help dissipate northerly winds. Teamed with the building's sinuous, overhanging rooftop and south-facing terraces, this cladding is also intended to enhance the building's fluid form. The planted balconies of Xi'an International Football Centre, referred as "garden terraces", will be built along the stadium's south-facing elevation.
Inside, Xi'an International Football Centre's will have a distinctive saddle-shaped seating area, developed by Zaha Hadid Architects to maximize views of the field from all 60,000 seats. All seating will be sheltered by the translucent roof that will be open at its center, which was designed to ensure there is plenty of natural light and encourage the growth of the grass on the pitch. The large roof span will be achieved using a lightweight, tensile cable-net structure, which will help reduce its load, material footprint, and in turn, the amount of primary structure required to support it.
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