ASIAN GAMES 2022 FIELD HOCKEY STADIUM

A 410-foot free-span roof allows this stadium to double as a center for open-air community events.

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CHALLENGE
This stadium was designed as an anchor for Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 park, opposite the Table Tennis Stadium. This stadium will host the Field Hockey events, and double as a space for open-air community events after the Games—all while embracing the region’s design heritage.

INNOVATION
The stadium is defined by its translucent wing roof inspired by the structure and materiality of the traditional oil-paper and bamboo umbrella. Spanning the entire distance of the field in one sweep, a single curving beam keeps the ‘wing’ in place. 1 meter in diameter at its thinnest and 1.5 meters at its thickest, this beam sits in 4 massive concrete elements that tie it to the ground. Rather than keeping the structure up, the concrete blocks actually hold it down to keep everything in tension.

IMPACT
The roof shades the stands, field, and entrance plaza while introducing a sculptural element that visually anchors its end of the park. The playing field itself is set into a recessed oval-shaped grass plain that doubles as a landscape feature and can be converted to host outdoor events after the Games, including concerts, night markets, and community gatherings. A curving glass facade encloses the lobby, supported by an engineered hardwood and steel structure that creates a dramatic interplay of light and shadow. Hi-tech forms and materials are balanced by more traditional finishes—like the bamboo-clad interior walls—that make for an innovative building that feels rooted within the region’s heritage.

Credits

Year: Competition won: 2018, Construction phase: 2020, Substantial completion: 2021

Location: Hangzhou, China

Client: Government: Gongshu District City Village Reconstruction Department

Project Type: Asian Games Field Hockey Stadium and flexible legacy venue

Size: 16,000 m2 (172,000 sq ft)

Design Team: Design Team: Principal in charge: Winka Dubbeldam, Assoc. AIA | Project Leader: Justin Korhammer | Main Designers: Paul Starosta, Max Boerman | Archi-Tectonics Team: Dongliang Li, Maud Fonteyne, Soyeon Cha, Boden Davies, Alex Bahr, Dan Rothbart, Bowen Qin

Consultants: Structural Engineers: Thornton Tomasetti | Mechanical Engineers: Ryan Soames Engineering

Renderings and Diagrams: Archi-Tectonics

Collaborators: !melk Landscape Design | UAD Research group, Hangzhou, China

Credits

Publications