colored metal boxes protrude from urbantect's banan stadium in chongqing, china

banan stadium was once one of the important landmarks in banan district of chongqing, china. the stadium was soon idled and abandoned due to a lack of functions and infrastructures. this leads to the deterioration of the spatial quality of the stadium and its surrounding areas. this renovation project by urbantect had the intention to bring life back to the stadium and the whole district.

the main design challenge was how to achieve the concept combining monumental landmarks with street life without affecting the primary structure of the stadium, as required by the project. another design challenge was how to reflect the contradictory and the demands of the new age, while preserving the historical characteristics of this distinctive building in banan, chongqing. 

birds eye’s view of the perforated aluminum façade and the commercial storefront

the urban design principle was to create a pedestrian street between the stadium and gymnasium. the first design approach by urbantect was to divide the stadium into two parts. the southeast part facing the pedestrian street responds to the monumental landmark and living necessity, while the northwest part responds to the preservation of the historical value of the original building. 

wide angle view of the east facade

on the southeast side, the new skin is divided into two parts. on the top part, the perforated aluminum panels were used to wrap around the stadium’s facade. the panels function to hide the service ducts and piping. the perforated aluminum panels are elevated at the end and act as a visual focus of the stadium. on the lower part, the spaces are divided into several blocks to meet the small-scale requirements of the commercial area. it is also used as the circulation and evacuation exit of the stadium. the additional fixture on the southeast part was completely an independent structure of the stadium. it is connected to the internal structure to create a multi-functional area of the commercial part.

facade texture between protruding boxes and aluminum facade

the facade on the first floor is designed with glass curtain walls. the projecting corridor added on the second floor provides public access and wide views. as an eye-catching component, the colored boxes were organized by types of commercial spaces on the second floor and a platform for billboard placements. each colored box was sliced, forming a tilted reflective stainless steel that acts as an interactive device between the architecture and pedestrians. 

colored metal cladding boxes were designed to distinguished types of commercial spaces on the second floor and a platform for billboard placements

on the northwest side, the original main structure is retained and the renovation works were minimal. we removed the existing wall coatings and repainted them in a dark gray color. the old windows were replaced by new bay windows. on the northwest facade, we allowed service ducts and piping to be exposed directly as it was where the service zone was located. 

at the end of the project, we took the liberty to clean up the stadium by repainting the seats and cleaning up other facilities. with the addition of the equipment and facilities to the new functional specifications, the internal spaces of the stadium to future tenants that desire to design their interior based on their own design needs and demands.

tilted reflective stainless steel that acts as an interactive device between architecture and pedestrians

after the project was completed, the functionality of the stadium effectively reactivated. as the new tenants began to move into the commercial stores, the pedestrian street became livelier. and now, an increasing number of passersby already have a dialogue around the area to observe the reflective stainless steel mirror installation. the reshaping of the stadium’s overall image has restored to its original glory and its status as a monumental landmark in the banan region. 

tilted reflective stainless steel on the protruding boxes

‘the objective of this project is not to create a certain type, style, a built form, or space. it is about future usage and activities that would happen in space and grow into a lifestyle: mixed activities such as community sports events, shopping, dining, working, training, shows, and many more. as a result, an expected unified ‘identity’ of a large scale sports building is redefined by a mixed ‘identity’ of different scales, forms, and installations: different scales respond to users’ on-site experience, different forms respond to future usage and services, and the final touches of the stainless steel ‘distorting mirrors’ acts as a little surprise for the people who are here.’

evening shot taken from the northwest façade which locates the service zone

masterplan of banan stadium located on pingjiang east road, banan district, chongqing

first floor plan

elevation view of banan stadium

sectional view where service ducts and pipes travel internally towards the facade

façade and commercial storefront analysis

project info:

name: banan stadium

architect: urbantect

team: yuji ji, gang zheng, xi wei, shixin gao, bing feng

location: banan district, chongqing, china

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: sofia lekka angelopoulou | designboom