China

ABOUT

Located in the Chinese province of Zhejiang, the city of Quzhou has recently inaugurated a new, truly stunning architectural project: Quzhou Sports Campus. The new futuristic project is a mere resort of sports grounds and leisure facilities, as it redefines the concepts of urbanization and nature by integrating both aspects into an innovative, sustainable and inspiring programme.

Emotion-powered architectural project

The Quzhou Sports Campus project is the work of MAD Architects, an internationally recognized practice founded in 2004 by Chinese architect Ma Yansong. His creative vision seeks to strike a perfect balance between natural and urban environments, consistently placing human sensations and emotions, and the pursuit of harmony, at the heart of his architectural concepts.

Located in the heart of the historic city of Quzhou, this new sports park is an island of greenery covering more than 570,000 sqm. At first glance, the design, which features a lake at the centre, appears as a cluster of hills randomly positioned over the entire area of the campus, with multiple walking trails meandering around them. But as visitors step closer to the lush scenery, the park suddenly reveals its true nature: each prominence in the terrain actually conceals a building that blends seamlessly into its surroundings. The various mounds and hillocks are all man-made structures covering training grounds, a gymnasium, a natatorium, as well as a brand new science and technology museum.

Suspended walkways, underground passages and terraces stretch around volcano-shaped elevations and over hillsides, connecting facilities and providing access into the buildings. Wherever the eye wanders, the landscape is ubiquitous, surreal and futuristic, where nature just merges with the architecture.

Distinctive design

Like the other structures in the park, the Quzhou stadium stands out from other conventional sports facilities and pushes even further the idea of architecture blending into its environment. With a capacity of 30,000 seats, the semi-buried stadium is topped with a white crown-shaped roof structure 250 metres in diameter, covered with two layers of PTFE membrane by Serge Ferrari Group.

Aesthetics and performance with Serge Ferrari’s PTFE membrane

The exterior surface exposed to the elements consists of a layer of Flexlight T-1100 membrane. In total, the material — rainproof and transparent to let in natural light — covers an area of close to 42,800 sqm.

As for the underside of the structure, it has been fitted with more than 40,800 sqm of Flexlight M700, a PTFE membrane with class A fire resistance, in compliance with the strictest fire safety standards.

In addition to their technical qualities, both Serge Ferrari products also lend the project an undeniable aesthetic appeal, with a result evoking a patch of clouds gently drifting over the hills. Tying together nature and architecture, Serge Ferrari’s membranes have contributed to creating a truly unique, one-of-a-kind urban landscape.

Project participants :

Architects: MAD Architects
Manufacturer: Kingwolf
Client: West Quzhou District Development and Construction Management Committee​
Program Design: MAD​
Construction Design: CCDI​
Structural Consultant: SBP​
Copyright: MAD​