Xujiahui Sports Park / HPP Architects

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Text description provided by the architects.Xujiahui Sports Park, formerly known as the Shang­hai Sports Center, was planned in the 1960s. Over nearly half a century, buildings such as Shang­hai Indoor Stadium (1973), Shanghai Swimming Center (1983), Shanghai Stadium, and East Asia Tower (1997) have been successively constructed to host top-level sports events over the years. They reflect significant memories of the sports devel­opment in Shanghai and even China, becoming an undeniable landmark of Shanghai’s sports culture. The vision of the project is to transform this area into a new, open, and vibrant urban space.Based on the results of the research, HPP pro­poses an overall planning concept of “one axis, two wings, and a loop”. The functions of the 2 major professional venues are preserved to form a” pro­fessional event axis”, while the remaining sites are 2 major park sectors in the north and south, creating a green and active urban public space. In addition, a loop is designed to organize the park. The outer running track integrates the urban environment while the inner track surrounds and connects the main venues.Functional upgrade for historical buildings: Renovation of the venues has upgraded and pre­served the original architecture and construction. The interior spaces have been adaptively modified to fulfill the contemporary requirements of top-level events and their supporting spaces. The original design elements of the Shanghai Indoor Stadium are reserved and integrated into the renovation. The structure has been reinforced, the grand stage inside the building has been removed, and new circular seating areas have been added with additional movable seats, a box area, and spaces for VIP ser­vices.After renovation, the interior space is made for rapid division and switching of the venues. It will not only serve as the home stadium of the Shanghai basketball team but will also be able to host diverse commercial events. After renovation, Shanghai Swimming Center, once used for public swimming events and as the training place for teenagers professionals, and diving teams, is now a new civic water sports center. The original walls at the end of the central swimming pool were removed and replaced by a full-height glass curtain wall, introducing more sunlight. The renovation of the East Asia Tower is inspired by Shanghai’s city flower, magnolia, and torch as a symbol for sports activities.New building of the Sports Complex: As the completely newly constructed building in the park, the Sports Complex is located on the second underground level, seamlessly blending into the park through landscape architecture. With a GFA of almost 60,000 m2, it serves also as a connec­tion place to the metro lines and further improves the public accessibility. The Sports Complex includes badminton courts, table tennis courts, and tennis courts, while the outdoor area accommodates bas­ketball courts, as well as tennis courts. After renovation, now Xujiahui Sports Park become one of Shanghai’s best-equipped public places for sports and culture.