Huzhou Cultural and Sports Center: A Masterpiece of Modern Architecture

Link Design's Award-Winning Multi-Functional Sports Complex

The Huzhou Cultural and Sports Center was designed to host the basketball, badminton and karate competitions of the Zhejiang Provincial Games in 2018, and to prepare a venue for the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2022. The city of Huzhou selected a grassy triangle island surrounded by water on the south side of the Wuxing District Government Building to build these new sports facilities.

What sets this design apart is its unique properties. The architects have attempted to express futuristic architectural design in the oriental context, and the use of large-scale architecture to express the artistic conception of small-scale traditional Chinese architecture. The design team, consisting of Shang Hong, Yin Zhen, Zhu Chen, Wang Tiantian, Liang Yujunru, and Bai Yuying, has successfully created a design that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

The realization of this design was made possible through the use of modern technology. The building features 16 square meters of solar photovoltaic panels installed on the south roof, which power the garage lighting and other common uses. The excess electricity is solved by the "surplus electricity grid" application. The ground features permeable materials for hard pavement, and rainwater infiltration gardens and micro-ecological filter beds are integrated at several locations to collect and utilize rainwater.

The design also faced several challenges. The intervention of a multi-functional operation scheme made it necessary for sports facilities and cultural supporting facilities to form an integrated unity. This provided different strategies for flexible space use in various occasions. The sports function will further "dissolve" in the new format of sports building evolving from "sports +" architectural complex.

The Huzhou Cultural and Sports Center was awarded Platinum in A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2021. This prestigious award recognizes world-class, exceptional, and highly innovative designs that showcase unmatched professionalism, genius, and contribute to societal wellbeing. The Huzhou Cultural and Sports Center is indeed a defining aesthetic of an era, advancing the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology, and making the world a better place.