Quzhou Sports Park by MAD Architects
MAD Architects has completed Quzhou Stadium, the centerpiece of a complex spanning almost 700,000 square meters that will be known as Quzhou Sports Park. Despite its impressive 30,000-seat capacity, the Quzhou stadium breaks away from conventional sports architecture. Appearing from a distance like a halo hovering gently above the landscape, the overhanging structure of Quzhou Stadium is the newest crown jewel of the city. Its sinuous exterior profile reflects the mountain ridge within a distant view of the site while its landscape evokes those of planets imagined by visionary science fiction authors.
Visitors approach the stadium by walking through the canopy from one of eight entrances, all of which feature complex double-curved surfaces. The canopy is supported by only nine drop points with a maximum span of 95 meters between them to allow the building to “float” over the landscape while offering framed perspectives of the city. The 60 sets of concrete column walls that support the stadium are composed of exposed wood-grained fair-faced concrete sheet walls that bring a warm feeling and blur the boundary between interior and exterior.
Though the canopy is internally composed of self-supporting steel, it appears lightweight thanks to the light-transmitting synthetic polymer PTFE membrane wrapped around the lower half of the structure that is composed of micro-perforations to improve acoustic performance throughout the stadium. The upper surface of the canopy is composed of a more solid PTFE membrane to prevent rain from entering the seating bowl. In addition to providing an intimate setting for spectatorship, the stadium was designed with a wide array of sustainable design features.
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