A PTFE Canopy for Kuishan Stadium

A major development project 

In preparation for the 25th edition of the Shandong Provincial Games held in 2022 in Rizhao, on the coast of the Yellow Sea, the city launched a wide-ranging development programme for new community facilities. Among the projects built for the occasion is the Kuishan Sports Centre, located just a few kilometres South-West of the city centre, part of a larger urban redevelopment scheme to create a dynamic and attractive business district. 

Alongside the stadium, the project included training facilities, a sports academy, a fitness centre, tennis courts, as well as offices, collective housing and a hotel. But amongst this wide array of recent constructions, the Kuishan Stadium stands out unmistakably. The crown jewel of the Kuishan Sports Centre project is a vast elliptical structure with a seating capacity of 36,000. Designed primarily to host high-level national and international sporting events, it also doubles as an entertainment venue for live shows and concerts. 

Iconic architecture 

Providing a landmark for Rizhao’s brand-new sporting facilities, the Kuishan Stadium is the beating heart of the project’s architectural concept. Standing at 42 metres tall, with 5 levels, the structure spans 273 metres in length and 242 metres in width. All around it, an expanse of land has been transformed into a park with two water features, offering visitors an idyllic setting mere steps from the entrances to the stands. 

The chosen theme — ‘Light of the Beaming Sun’, a pun on the city’s name in Chinese — played an important role in shaping the concept. Solar references are ubiquitous throughout the building, from the colour of the seats inspired by the rising sun to the radial pattern of the canopy folds evocative of sunrays. And the most distinctive feature of this remarkable design is the tensile canopy covering the stands. 

A PTFE canopy for the new Kuishan Stadium 

The Kuishan Stadium canopy is supported by a metal frame, with the fabric forming vertical serrations along the edge of the building. Seen from above, the resulting ridges converge like the sun’s rays towards the heart of the venue: the pitch. 

Covering the metal frame, some 48,000 sqm of Serge Ferrari Group’s PTFE membrane have been stretched, secured in place by metal cabling. This type of composite membrane, a fiberglass weave coated with Teflon, delivers very high mechanical resistance to sustain even the most extreme weather conditions. 

In addition, PTFE also boasts excellent fire resistance, in line with the highest construction standards for entertainment venues.