Nanjing Sports Park
Nanjing, China
HOK Sport

Sports Park creates new urban district

© Patrick Bingham-Hall

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

The Nanjing Sports Park forms the centerpiece of a new downtown precinct development in the ancient city of Nanjing, in China’s Jiangsu province. Globally, there are many examples of how sports facilities help to revitalize communities and urban districts—but this project exemplifies a new way of thinking that uses sports facilities to create an entire district from scratch.

Situated on a riverfront site, the Nanjing Sports Park includes the stadium, an indoor sports arena, aquatic center, tennis center, as well as baseball and softball parks. HOK Sport master planned the entire site and designed all of the buildings. Its concept for the master plan was to create a “people’s place” for Nanjing’s citizens: a dynamic, adventurous space that provides opportunities for both passive and active recreation.

A 60,000-seat stadium forms the Sports Park’s centerpiece. Its toroidal-shaped roof, which covers 95 percent of the seats, is suspended from two red, arcing superstructures that form an instant landmark on the skyline. The roofing is comprised of a translucent polycarbonate material that reduces shadows on the playing field while maintaining an overall feeling of light and openness.

Open spaces and built forms respect the landscape and respond to it. Parkland comprises 35 percent of the complex and, in the remaining areas, sports buildings are grouped closely together. All facilities within the sports complex are linked together, enabling greater efficiency for major events and everyday use alike. The project was constructed in time for the opening of the Tenth China National Games in October 2005.

Formal name of Project:
Nanjing Sports Park

Location:
Nanjing, China

Gross square footage:
1,207,043 sq. ft.

Total project cost:
287.3$ million

Client:
Jiangsu State Government, China

Architect:
HOK Sport
Ground Floor, 418 Adelaide Street
Brisbane, QLD 4000 Australia
61-7-3839-9155 tel.
61-7-3839-9188 fax
www.hoksve.com