Quzhou Stadium, China

Text: Bálint Botzheim
Photos: SERGE FERRARI GROUP

For almost a decade now, the construction industry of China seems to be heading in a characteristically different direction than that of either Europe or the United States. We could call it an expressive trend; it seems that the results of search for formal paths that has been going on in Western universities since the 1990s will be largely seen in China. The Quzhou Stadium, designed by MAD Architects, was inaugurated in 2022. The building is reportedly the largest green roof structure in the world as of today. The stadium’s stands are covered by a huge undulating roof, with the building sitting like a hilltop in the urban landscape. The undulating hill is actually functioning as a parking lot. The green roof is also part of a more comprehensive idea. The stadium is just one component of the urban sports park that will be built on this site. It will integrate a wide range of functions, including a 10 000-seat high school, a 2000-seat swimming pool, a hotel, a college and a science and technology museum as well. The whole area will function as a huge park, with buildings as landscape constituents, such as the stadium, appearing as hills that form a vast urban landscape.