Selected from a group of 5 international firms, Archi-Tectonics won this invited competition for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. The masterplan proposed 3 major concepts: First, it transformed a 1.6-kilometer-long site bisected by a major road & river into an active public eco park, connected by a shopping valley. Second, the design offered hybrid buildings that would transform after the 2022 Asian Games ended—including 2 hybrid stadiums and a 23,000 SF fitness center and 18,000 SF exhibition center. Third, it introduced a Sponge City concept for sustainable, ecologically-conscious development in Hangzhou, one of China’s densest and fastest-growing cities.
The eco-park features a zero-earth strategy, using excavated earth from new wetlands and valley to create a diverse landscape of hills, wetlands, hiking trails, and playgrounds. The two hybrid stadiums are linked with a lively social artery formed by the Village Valley Mall—a green pedestrian spine lined with shops, restaurants, cafes, kiosks and outdoor gathering spaces—that dips under the road and river, and features green roofs. The river had to be transformed into an aqueduct traversed by a set of elegant pedestrian bridges.
The eco-park offers a range of civic amenities and a place for wellness and recreation—thus creating a neighborhood hub programmed to cater to the city’s entire population. Enhancing the site’s hydrology and local biodiversity, it acts as a green lung for the city and offsets the impact of rapid urban development.