Qi Zhong Forest Sports City Arena
The Qi zhong Forest Sports City Arena, also known as Qi Zhong stadium, is an arena in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The complex is located on an 80-hectare area, in the southwest of Shanghai, in Minhang District.
The stadium was specially created to host the Tennis Masters Cup between 2005 -2008, and was the largest tennis venue in Asia, until the construction of the Olympic Green Tennis Centre in Beijing. As of 2009, the stadium hosted the ATP Masters 1,000, a new ATP Masters Series tournament. It also serves as one of the venues used for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic during their tour of China.
HISTORY
The Shanghai Municipal Commission of Construction and Administration requested international bids in 2003, for building the stadium. The winning bid was submitted by Japanese architect Mitsuru Senda and his company Environment Design Institute (EDI), an architectural and landscape firm specialising in children's environments including schools, museums, hospitals, sports facilities, parks, play structures, daycare centers, and housing.It has a steel roof with eight sliding petal-shaped pieces (takes 8 minutes to open or close) which resembles a blooming magnolia, Shanghai's city flower. A flower popularly known for its medicinal value in China. The roof enables the stadium to host both indoor and outdoor tennis events. The seating capacity is 15,000 people.
EDI had designed sports stadiums in Japan, including the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Centre and the Tokoname Municipal Gymnasium. Mr. Senda, a former President and now honorary member of the Architectural Institute of Japan, established EDI in 1968 with a design philosophy to adapt comprehensive planning along with the layout of the environment.
Each leaf, of the roof, was constructed on the ground beforehand. The method of testing each leaf on the ground was similar to that used by China aerospace, where each roof piece must pass a test, before it can be elevated to its position for final installation.
Other companies involved in the center's construction included:
- China Construction Third Bureau - construction contractor
- Jiangnan Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. - steel infrastructure
- Shanghai Mechanical Construction Co., Ltd. - roof construction
STADIUM FEATURES
The tennis centre covers a total area of 338,836 square meters, of which 85,000 square meters are made up of structures. The volume rate is 0.187, the building density 15.1 percent, green open space 46.1 percent, with parking capacity of 993 parking spaces. The center’s court stadium spans 30,649 square meters. It has four floors, for a total height of 40 m above ground level. The center court is covered by a steel roof with eight petal-shaped pieces with each petal weighing two tons. The stadium can be adapted for other international events such as basketball, volleyball, ping pong, or gymnastics.
DESIGN ADAPTATION AND ENGINEERING
Qi Zhong Stadium Design Information The centre court stadium was specially built to stage the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai, the year-end world championship for men's professional tennis. The Shanghai municipal government and the Qi Zhong group company funded the building of the tennis centre.
The tender for the research, testing and technically adaptations for the stadium design was won by SIADR (Shanghai Institute of Architectural Design & Research). SIADR also worked with independent building contractors to oversee construction. SIADR will also manage and design Phase 2 of the Qi Zhong tennis centre for construction of the remaining tennis courts and clubhouse.
Architect Zhao Chen and engineer Lin Ying Ru led the SIADR team. Both have worked on many of Shanghai's largest structures and sporting facilities. Mr. Lin, an engineer with more than three decades of experience, oversaw the building of Shanghai's first sports stadium, the 80,000 seat Shanghai stadium in 1993.The architect and engineer traveled to Roland Garros to gather ideas for the Qi Zhong stadium. "We were impressed with the beautiful surroundings and deep sense of tennis history," said Mr. Lin.
Back in Shanghai, the team faced a number of challenges with making the design a reality. Mr. Zhao said, "We spent millions of RMB and one year researching whether this kind of roof was actually feasible. There was no other project like this, which could act as a reference point. We also researched whether the stadium could withstand earthquakes, typhoons and other environmental impacts by creating a model to simulate these effects.” continued Mr. Lin.A 'tension ring structure' was used inside the stadium to create a strong coliseum shape with reinforcement steel being used for both inside and outside the concrete.
TENNIS CENTRE FACTS
SeatingBesides regular seats, the center court has also VIP, media, and handicapped seating. The Stadium has special elevators and seating areas, to ensure that the facility is wheelchair friendly. There is an air-conditioning outlet under each seat, which can be used for both cooling and heating. In summer, cool air can be released to disperse the heat, while in winter a current of heat keeps the stadium warm.
Players loungeThe stadium houses private locker rooms with shower and massage facilities, for each tennis player. In addition, there is a players' lounge, gym and dining area so that players can warm up before a match and relax afterwards without leaving the venue. Players' comfort is a top priority for venue design.
360 degrees of Unobstructed SightlinesThe stadium has built 20 broadcasting rooms at the highest level of the venue, which allows simultaneous television coverage by 20 different media groups. Space is also reserved inside the inner court ring for broadcasting equipment. Given the circular shape of centre court, there is little to block views, which provide excellent sight lines for TV broadcasting.
Media CenterThe 1,800 square meter media center is of the highest international standards, equipped with 240 individual journalist workstations with telephone and Internet access and a special photographer locker room for equipment.
ParkingShuttle buses between the site and various downtown locations are available for tennis events. In addition, there are 993 parking spaces.
PROFESSIONAL TEAM
Grand Award / Residential Category
Project Team Members
Client/Developer: Sun Hung Kai Properties / MTR Corporation Ltd
Project Manager: Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency Ltd
Project Architect: Sun Hung Kai Architects and Engineers Ltd
Main Contractor: Sanfield Building Contractors Ltd
Structural Engineer: Sun Hung Kai Architects and Engineers Ltd
Building Services Engineer: Parsons Brincherhoff (Asia) Ltd
