The Quzhou Sports Campus is the latest example of MAD's long-running interest in blending nature and architecture. Currently under construction and due to open in 2021, it will feature a stadium, gymnasium and other sporting attractions – some of which will take the form of undulating hills.
The Quzhou Sports Campus is a massive project and will measure 173 acres (70 hectares), with facilities including a 30,000-seat stadium, a 10,000-seat gymnasium, a 2,000-seat indoor swimming pool, a national sports complex, and an outdoor sports venue. There will also be a science and technology museum, a youth center, hotel accommodation, and retail areas.
Several of the buildings look like large greenery-covered hills and will be topped by skylights to allow natural light to permeate within. Paths, or "mountain trails," will allow people to walk among the nature-infused buildings and even on top of them. This blending of nature and architecture is clearly a passion for MAD boss Ma Yansong and can be seen in many of his projects, including the recent Gardenhouse.
The stadium will take the form of a crater buried into the ground and a lake is also planned for the middle of the park. The perimeter of the site will be lined by trees.
"Quzhou Sports Campus abandons the traditional urban construction model of conventional large square landmarks," says Ma Yansong. "Drawing on land art and the natural landscape, it forms a unique urban space, one that is embedded in the spiritual understanding of the people, nature, and culture of the city."
If the Quzhou Sports Campus looks vaguely familiar, that's probably because it bears some similarity to MAD's first (and ultimately rejected) Lucas Museum. However, whereas the design looked a bit awkward in the Chicago location, it seems a much better fit here.
Source: MAD