Zaha Hadid Architects have pulled back the velvet curtains on the new Xi’an International Football Centre, revealing the renders for an impressive sporting facility, and politely reminding the world exactly why they run the high-concept design game.
Uniting ZHA’s signature aesthetic with an abundance of practicality, this promises to be a venue which will elevate each and every occasion. Featuring a 60,000-seat capacity stadium, training spaces, civic spaces, and even its own recreational spaces, the Xi’an International Football Centre has been conceived in a way which ensures future generations will be able to get plenty of use beyond the AFC Asian Cup tournament in 2023.
Located in the Fengdong New District in China, effectively, this will be a place for youth training academies, performances and cultural events, as well as the odd football match – from domestic leagues, to national matches, and even international matches. Not just another one-off structure that’s quickly abandoned after the main attraction has transpired like countless Olympic stadiums around the world.
In addition to being quite the grandiose landmark structure, the Xi’an International Football Centre will also be a showcase of intelligent design. Given the local geography’s warmer summer climate, ZHA has incorporated a wide perimeter roof overhanging shelter facilities, open-air terraces with ample shading, extensive planting on all levels, and a translucent membrane above spectator seating to shield sports fans from all manners of extreme weather conditions – not just sunlight – in the most unobstructive way possible.
Check out the Zaha Hadid International Football Centre in Xi’an below.
