NEW SPORTS CENTRE CARRIES LOFTY GOALS
13 Oct 2016
Set within four distinct volumes, a new sports and cultural centre in Southern China will include a full program of sporting and leisure facilities that seek to promote connections between sport, culture, and nature.
MVRDV has won a competition to complete a 105,000 sqm sports and cultural complex in Shenzhen, Southern China. The scheme seeks to introduce a more humanistic model for sports and culture as a way to transform the lives of local people. The vast project brings together a wide range of activities with four distinct volumes that include a theater, a basketball and badminton court, a multifunctional arena, and a swimming pool.
Developed in collaboration with Zhubo Architecture Design, the XILI Sports and Cultural Center is located in a residential area along Shenzhen’s Dasha green corridor, which stretches between the Nanshan and Yangtai mountain parks. MVRDV’s design intends to find connections between nature, sports, and culture, thus serving wide-ranging age groups and interests and promoting a better quality of life.
“There are many of these types of buildings being built in Shenzhen in a short time, which is an amazing phenomenon in itself, so the idea was to make a collection of atmospheres in this center so that they can be distinguished from each other,” explains MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs.
VRDV’s design responds to the growing demand for fitness and sports venues, with the intention of introducing a more engaging and sustainable model than that of the country’s olympic-sized sports arenas. Within the scheme, interaction within singular spaces gives way to more open zones, where different sports and social activities are encouraged. The complex is conceived as an urban interface that allows for flexible use at different times of day, while welcoming both locals and visitors to interact — in turn, strengthening the community.
“We wanted to combine a large-scale sports stadium with a social aspect connecting it with the community,” continues van Rijs. “This was achieved by arranging different volumes on the site around a new diagonal (green) bridge linking the Chaguang Metro Station in the south, with the Tanglan Mountains in the north, making this center a stage for different users – nature, sports, and culture.”
Each level of the multifunctional arena has a certain theme, with an elevated running track looping through and around the courts. Volleyball, table tennis, a general sports hall, and a small soccer field complete the volume - inviting people to relax and socialise. A plaza with a lobby includes the service levels containing all dressing rooms next to the main hall. Above, a second basketball venue is surrounded by a mezzanine for badminton, fitness spaces, and a sports bar.
The ‘XILI Sports and Cultural Center will be MVRDV’s first project under construction in Shenzhen, with work starting at the beginning of 2017.
