The Quzhou Sports Campus in China’s coastal province of Zhejiang recently entered the construction stage. The 700,000 square-meter-campus is designed by MAD Architects, lead by principal partner Ma Yansong. With a construction area of 340,000 square meters for its first and second phase, the design includes a stadium, gymnasium, natatorium, Science and Technology Museum, National Sports complex, youth center, outdoor sports venue, and retail stores. The sports complex is a beautiful combination of architecture and nature, with a landscape that “falls somewhere between Earth and Mars”
The city of Quzhou has a rich history and culture of over 1000 years and is steeped with philosophical ideas. Its breathtaking scenery is complemented by the lush forests that cover over 70% of its land.
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“We dream not only of creating an urban space about sports and ecology but also turning it into a unique land art park for the world, establishing a relationship between the city’s heritage and history of Shanshui culture,” says Ma Yansong.
Following the same language of the city, the site of the new campus has been designed to be a surreal and tranquil space, suitable for contemplation. The site has been demarcated with tall trees along its perimeter, separating it from the rest of the city. Upon entering the site through the trees, the vast expanse of undulating landscape comes to sight. With broad horizons and the alienesque terrain, the campus gives off a mysterious vibe. The functions of the sports complex have been embedded into the open, huddled, and overlapping mountainous landscape. Also, in the middle of the campus, there is a lake that is recessed into the ground like a sunken garden. When people approach it from a particular angle, they get to enjoy the beautiful view of the mountains and the blue skies, reflected over the still waters of the lake.
The 30,000-seat-stadium is sunken into the ground, reminiscent of a crater. It has a translucent “halo” crown that looks like a floating cloud. The structure stands as a spiritual metaphor, inviting people to engage in the conversation between the earth and the sky.
The neighboring hills house the gym, training center, and the natatorium, above which are public spaces for people with splendid views of natural scenery. Also, the peaks of the hills have platforms and skylights that help bring natural light and ventilation into the interior spaces below.
The sports complex, designed by MAD Architects, is quite unusual in the way it connects with nature. Sports stadiums and complexes are known for flaunting their structural prowess with massive cantilevers or seemingly impossible forms. However, this particular sports complex derives its intrinsic and subtle beauty from its innate connection to nature. Every part of the complex is connected to the surrounding landscape. The people can traverse between mountains and lakes on the meandering pathways that take them across, through the architecture. The green spaces invite people to leisurely walk through them, run in their trails, or even spend some time on a bench on the lawn.
“The relationship between man and nature is not only about ecology and sustainability, but it is also about spirit and mood,” says Ma Yansong, “This is the culture and philosophy that has long existed in the history of this land and needs to be applied in the development of our future cities.“
MAD designed the Quzhou Sports Campus to one day become a space for spiritual belonging and contemplation in the city. It advocates a future when a man begins to have a harmonious relationship with nature.
All Images Courtesy of MAD Architects
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