dalian football stadium in china by unstudio
image courtesy unstudio

unstudio has won the limited competition for a 40,000 spectator football stadium
for the most successful club in the chinese super league: dalian shide fc. the stadium
will be built in the club’s hometown of the city of dalian, on the southern tip of liaodong
peninsula in northeast china.the design for the 38,500 m2 stadium has been based on
the colourful layering and overlapping of the ancient chinese cuju football. it weaves
together the collective spirit of the spectators with the public realm and the urban context
of the building. the main stadium houses spectator seating, tv broadcasting centre,
administration areas, vip lounge, players facilities and public concourse in a layered
envelope which extends on ground level to provide outdoor public areas above decked
parking facilities. in addition, the design incorporates two training fields on
the 144,000 m2 site.


dalian football stadium in china
image courtesy unstudio

unstudio’s design for the dalian football stadium reacts to this setting by orientating
the building in order to maximise both the use of existing transport modes and the views
of the surrounding sea and mountains, whilst providing a unique sporting venue for
the population of the dalian.


dalian football stadium model
image courtesy unstudio

essential to the stadium typology is the experience of the spectator. aside from the basic
function of a stadium as an arena for spectator sport with one central focal point,
stadium design requires the consideration of many essential structural, programmatic,
contextual, infrastructural and stylistic elements and the incorporation of these into
a strong, integral gesture. infrastructural considerations include ease of access and evacuation,
visitor routing and parking facilities, while contextual considerations form an important
element in both the relationship of the stadium to the city, its surroundings and its orientation
with regard to nearby transport modes.

unstudio’s design for the dalian stadium presents an inclusive approach to stadium
design where the articulation of the structure and the openings and overlapping moments
of its double-layered envelope serve as the starting point for visitor experience and programmatic
and infrastructural requirements, in addition to heightening spectator experience in terms
of proximity to the playing field.


dalian football stadium model
image courtesy unstudio




dalian football stadium - concept rendering
image courtesy unstudio



dalian football stadium colour seating plan
image courtesy unstudio


dalian football stadium
image courtesy unstudio


credits:
dalian football stadium, dalian, china, 2009
client: dalian city bureau of urban planning
location: dalian, china
building surface: 38,500 m2_building site: 144,000 m2
capacity: 40,000 spectators
programme: football stadium with two additional training grounds
status: competition 1st prize

unstudio: ben van berkel, caroline bos, astrid piber with nuno almeida,
ger gijzen and cynthia markhoff, luis etchegorry, shu yan chan, ramon van der heijden,
marcin koltunski, fernie lai, patrik noome

advisors
engineering consultants: arup shanghai, china
arup international consultants (shanghai) co., ltd
sports consultant: ass planungs gmbh freie architekten, germany
traffic consultant: mva hong kong ltd.
visualisations: unstudio / and sz silkroad digi tech co. ltd., china
animation: idf global pty ltd.