CHINA has revealed an incredible plan to create a ‘Teletubbies’ football ground – and it will be carved into a hill.
The underground arena has already been dubbed “a piece of land art” for its spectacular design that blows every Premier League stadium away.
Covering a whopping 700,000 square meters (173 acres) the Quzhou Stadium is a revolutionary plan to take football in China to the next level.
The actual pitch is just the tip of the futuristic masterpiece as the vast sporting arena in China’s Zhejiang Province looks like something out of the Teletubbies with the wavy landscape and grassy mounds.
It was designed by MAD Architects and was modelled off the surrounding Quzhou area, full of dense forests and mountain ranges.
The architects said their aim was to create a ground that “evokes ideas of planets imagined by visionary science fiction authors”.
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And this Utopian approach is evident when gazing at the stadium’s ambitious plans.
The creators placed a heavy focus on the unique design of the ground opposed to just making a huge stadium and fitting in as many spectators as possible.
Coming in with a respectable 30,000 capacity the Quzhou Stadium has been specially planned out to look welcoming and fluidly integrated into the surrounding area.
MAD Architects wanted to avoid an imposing, invasive space and therefore built the stadium around the earth rather than simply on top of it.
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The team at MAD said: “Unlike the typically fortress-like stadiums built in urban areas around the world, MAD Architects was determined to build a stadium that would embed much of the technology that went into its production so that it can instead be open to the surrounding public space from nearly every angle.”
Built as “an opportunity for a spiritual connection between people and nature”, the lead designer Ma Yansong said: “The Quzhou stadium breaks away from the conventional sports architecture.
The stadium is supported by sixty sets of concrete column walls and a series of steel sheets that are expertly moulded to create the unusual shaped structure.
The actual pitch and seating area of Quzhou Stadium is above ground but the majority of the building’s facilities – such as the parking garage and some entrances – are inside the hill.
With nine entrances, the stadium has a set of brilliant architectural designs to ensure it is always in perfect condition.
The MAD team describes the canopy-like structure as: “Appearing from a distance like a halo hovering gently above the landscape, the overhanging structure of Quzhou Stadium is the newest crown jewel of the city.
“Visitors approach the stadium by walking through the canopy from one of eight entrances, all of which feature complex double-curved surfaces that ripple overhead like ocean waves.”
The lower half of the structure is made up of micro-perforations to improve the acoustic performance throughout the stadium.
The upper surface of the canopy is also composed of a certain material that helps to prevent rain from entering the seating area.
Alongside the stadium, a larger project has been underway since 2018 in Quzhou.
Known as the Sports Park, the ambitious idea will have the stadium be the centrepiece in a sporting hub aiming to be the largest earth-sheltered complex in the world.
With a 10,000 seat gymnasium, a 2,000 seat natatorium, a science and technology museum, a hotel, youth centre, and a retail park.
The architects said: “The design of the buildings placed throughout the park break away from the traditional way of highlighting the structural strength of athletic facilities to instead convey a subtle inner beauty.
“When complete, Quzhou Sports Park will become the largest earth-sheltered complex in the world, and will provide a much-needed contrast to the dense urban fabric of the region.”
Recently, The Sun challenged AI tools to predict just how Premier League grounds will look a century from now and many of them dazzle the mind as much as the eyes do.
Looking as impressive as the Quzhou Stadium, many of the grounds are a thing of the future.
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Arsenal’s stadium could evolve into an oval temple on its own island as sailing boats drift by on the surrounding water.
And Old Trafford might become the most ironic name for a venue in sport, judging by the shimmering new jewel of a ground that could emerge on the current site.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
