gmp architekten: shanghai oriental sports center now complete

'shanghai oriental sports center' by gmp architekten, shanghai, china
image courtesy © marcus bredt


shanghai's 'oriental sports center' by hamburg-based studio gmp architekten, is now complete.
the complex - opening tomorrow - will be inaugurated with the 14th FINA world swimming championships.
constructed in under two and half years, the design is the result of an international competition held in 2008.



overall view of site
image courtesy © marcus bredt


built on former brownfield land along the huangpu river, the facility consists of three individual buildings
intended to accommodate a range of audiences, events and pools. the crisp white structures - each unique in
size and form - are defined by broad, repetitious arches and triangular elements that project a sail-like aesthetic.



entrance of hall stadium
image courtesy © marcus bredt


the sinuous volumes - a hall stadium, natatorium and outdoor pool - are visually connected through a series of
man-made ponds and islands. dictated by the shapes of the buildings, the calm and reflective water seeks to
integrate the divided site, and alludes to a much more natural environment.



exterior view of the natatorium
image courtesy © marcus bredt


holding over 3,500 fixed seats (5,000 after the FIDA competition), the natatorium contains four pools,
all arranged in a row. designed to showcase multiple events simultaneously, the unit features two standard-sized pools,
a diving pool and a leisure pool.



diving pool in natatorium
image courtesy © marcus bredt



interior view of the natatorium
image courtesy © marcus bredt



the outdoor swimming complex is an open-air pavilion located on an artificial island. encircling a competition-size
diving pool and diving towers, the skewed and exposed structure currently houses 2,000 fixed stadium seats,
and is set to include anther 3,000 after event. 



view of outdoor pool from the street
image courtesy © marcus bredt



outdoor pools
image courtesy © marcus bredt


the stadium hall has a crowd capacity of 14,000 and can be expanded to 18,000 through mobile seating.
during the FINA championships, the building will be used for synchronized swimming events, and will
later accommodate boxing matches, basketball games, concerts and ice-hockey.



detail of facade
image courtesy © marcus bredt

view of hall stadium from across man-made pond
image courtesy © marcus bredt



night view
image courtesy © marcus bredt



site plan
image courtesy © gmp architekten


project info:

competition: 2008 – 1st prize
design: meinhard von gerkan and nikolaus goetze with magdalene weiss
project leader: chen ying
team: jan blasko, lü cha, lü miao, jörn ortmann, sun gaoyang, yan lüji, jin zhan, fang hua, martin friedrich,
fu chen, ilse gull, kong rui, lin yi, katrin löser, ren yunping, alexander schober, nina svensson, tian jinghai,
zhang yan, zhou yunkai, zhu honghao
structural engineers: schlaich bergermann and partners
international installations: arup
landscaping: wes & partner
chinese partner firm: siadr, tongji design institute
capacity: hall stadium 18,000 seats, natatorium 5,000 seats, outdoor swimming pool 5,000 seats
client: shanghai administration of sports
construction period: 2009–2011