ASIAN GAMES 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 Hybrid 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 125m free span translucent shading wing 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 ring beam keeps the ‘wing’ in place. 1 meter in diameter at its thinnest and 1.5 meters at its thickest, this ring ties back to 4 massive concrete abutments that tie it to the ground. The playing field is recessed down so it becomes more like landscape art and part of the hilly topography.

IMPACT
The large wing shades not only the stands & field, but also the double curved expansive glass entrance, 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: WINNER Invited Competition: 2018, Substantial completion: 2022

Location: Hangzhou, China

Client: Government: Gongshu District City Village Reconstruction Department

Project Type: Asian Games Field Hockey Stadium and future public event space

Size: 18,000 m2 (192,000 sq ft)

Design Team: Principal in charge: Winka Dubbeldam, Assoc. AIA | Project Leader: Justin Korhammer | AT Team:: Paul Starosta, Dongliang Li, Maud Fonteyne, Soyeon Cha, Boden Davies, Alex Bahr, Dan Rothbart

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

Photography: SFAP Shanghai

Renderings and Diagrams: Archi-Tectonics

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

LDI: ZIAD Hangzhou

Credits

Publications