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Zaha Hadid Architects has unveiled its design for the new 60,000-seat Xi’an International Football Centre.
The stadium, located in the Xi’an Fengdong New District, will host national and international games, as well as domestic league matches, youth training academies, entertainment performances and cultural events.
China’s ancient capital and core of the Silk Road, Xi’an has a population of 9m and two professional football clubs. It will be a host city of the 2023 As6+ian Football Confederation Asian Cup.
The design uses open facades to “invite the city into the heart of the building” throughout the day. Public spaces, recreation and dining facilities located in a series of shaded, south-facing garden terraces will offer views over the city to Qing Mountain.
The lines of the facade are intended to protect the stadium from northerly winds.
The design employs an ultra-lightweight long span cable-net roof structure, resulting in a minimum load and material footprint that, in turn, reduces the stadium’s primary structure. Supported by the tensioned cable-net structure, a translucent membrane over the seating protects spectators from inclement weather and direct sunlight, while also allowing the maximum amount of natural light to reach the playing surface.
Digital modelling has defined the geometry of the spectators’ seating bowl to optimise proximity and views to the pitch from all 60,000 seats.
