‘bao’an stadium’ by gmp architekten located in shenzen, china image © christian gahl

hamburg-based practice gmp architekten has designed and completed the ‘bao’an stadium’ located in shenzen, china. bordered by a series of inclined columns intended to resemble a forest of bamboo, the striated boundary reflects the landscape of the immediate surroundings. the slender load bearing frame becomes the structure for the undulating roof element while changing light and shadow effects upon the perimeter spaces.

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 2 stadium complex image © christian gahl

visitors meander through the permeable facade and enter the interior through the grand stairs placed around the form. the circular volume is bisected by an oval shaped upper tier producing a varied seating arrangement with more seats along the oval’s elongated sides and fewer along the short sides. capable of accommodating 40,000 spectators, the athletic facility will be used for soccer matches during international sporting events.

a double row of steel tubes support the membrane roof’s deep eave which creates the sheltered promenade that encircles the facility. each standing at 32 meters tall and ranging from 550 mm to 800 mm in diameter, loads from the roof membrane are transferred directly to the foundations while the building’s lateral stability is provided with 36 additional cables. tension rings positioned at varied heights are linked together with 18 meter high connections. used in conjunction with a compression ring, the building balances forces similar to the spokes on the wheel of a bicycle.

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 3 bamboo column perimter image © christian gahl

visitors meander through the permeable facade and enter the interior through the grand stairs placed around the building. the circular volume is bisected by an oval shaped upper tier producing a varied seating arrangement with more seats along the oval’s elongated sides and less along it’s short sides. capable of accommodating 40,000 spectators, the athletic facility will be used for soccer matches during international sporting events.

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 4 (left) sheltered walkway (right) roof structure image © christian gahl

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 5 open roof image © christian gahl

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 6 seating surrounds the field entirely image © christian gahl

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 7 interior image © christian gahl

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 8 complex at night image © christian gahl

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 9 illuminated at night image © christian gahl

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 10 facade detail image © christian gahl

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 11 site plan image © gmp architekten

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 12 floor plan / level 0 image © gmp architekten

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 13 floor plan / level 1 image © gmp architekten

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 14 section image © gmp architekten

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 15 section image © gmp architekten

gmp architekten: baoan stadium - 16 sketch image © stephan schütz

project info:

competition: 2007 – 1st prize design: meinhard von gerkan and stephan schütz with david schenke project leaders: david schenke, li ran staff (design): jennifer heckenlaible, daniela franz, zhang xi, yin chao jie, zhou bin, anna bulanda-jansen, cai qing, xu ji staff (execution): matthias grünewald, cai yu, wang le, wang li, zhang xi, lucas gallardo, zhang xiao guang, sebastian linack, li zheng, pan xin, martin schulte-frohlinde structural engineering: schlaich bergermann und partner – sven plieninger with wei chen lighting design: schlotfeld licht, berlin chinese partner practice: scut south china university of technology client: the sports bureau of bao’an district seats: 40,050 length of the stadium: 245.80 m width of the stadium: 245.80 m height of the stadium: 39.65 m construction period: 2009–2011