A lot of times, stadiums have to choose between being eco-friendly, working really well, or looking really cool. But the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center manages to do all three. It has a beautiful design inspired by flowers that helps save energy and materials at the same time.
This new place uses way less steel compared to the Beijing Olympic Stadium—about 67% less! That’s great because it’s not only nice to look at and good for the environment, but it also makes a top-notch sports spot for a growing city.
The city of Hangzhou in China has grown a lot in the past ten years and is doing really well. The NBBJ design firm wanted to make an amazing sports place there. They made sure it was eco-friendly and good for people, especially by adding more public space for city folks to play and have fun.
The design team used computer programs to cut down on how much steel they needed. They did this in two main ways: first, by connecting the steel and concrete parts together on every level, making them work better together. Second, they added more support at the top of the structure to make the roof stick out less.
This landscaping weaves throughout the site to unite the main stadium with the rest of the complex, and is hoped to help reduce water run-off and prevent the urban heat island effect. An urban heat island happens when a city or town gets much hotter than the areas around it because of changes to the land and buildings there.
