Project Skills
The sports hall features a roof constructed with a square pyramid grid structure, while the surrounding curtain walls consist of triangular-section truss frameworks. The roof truss and curtain wall collectively form a rectangular footprint measuring approximately 159.2 meters east to west and 133 meters north to south. The upper chord of the roof’s centerline is at an elevation of 22.0 meters, with the highest point of the curtain wall structure reaching 23.9 meters.
The grid thickness measures 3.5 meters in the competition hall area and 3 meters in the fitness hall area. The maximum span of the grid in the competition hall extends 63 meters east to west, with a maximum overhang of 20.5 meters on the west side. The curtain wall bracket structure is approximately 2 meters thick and is set at a 69-degree angle relative to the ground. All members of the roof truss and curtain wall truss are fabricated from hollow circular tubes, featuring welded ball nodes at truss joints and intersecting nodes for the curtain wall truss connections.
The roof truss is supported on concrete cylinders and columns using fixed and unidirectional sliding ball joint supports. The upper end of the curtain wall truss connects to the roof truss’s upper chord via a horizontal connecting rod, while the lower end is anchored by a fixed hinge support.
Architectural Concept
Bozhou Sports Center embraces simplicity and accessibility by moving away from traditional outdoor steps and elevated platforms typically found in sports halls. Instead, it introduces a ring of semi-indoor and semi-outdoor public spaces that serve as buffers and dispersal areas between the main functional volumes and the outdoor environment. Public spaces on the east, north, and south sides are integrated within the first-floor public hall, while the west side features an underground courtyard. Vertical circulation is thoughtfully incorporated in the public hall, guiding visitors up to the second-floor public lounge via a grand straight staircase.
The three-sided continuous public hall creates an L-shaped, impressive three-story shared space. This area functions as a place for audience rest, event information dissemination, press conferences, and various urban public activities. The hall’s top is covered by a transparent glass roof. Complemented by the steel mesh roof structure, three-dimensional scaffolding on the sides, and hollow metal skin, the space is enriched with dynamic light and shadow effects under sunlight. At ground level, the steel frame transitions into a continuous triangular “colonnade,” inviting free movement in and out of the building. The traditional role of gates is replaced by symbolic markers, as the urban square naturally extends into the sports arena’s interior. This design merges indoor and outdoor spaces, truly embodying the “publicness” of public buildings and creating a “city living room” accessible to all around the clock. It realizes architects’ social ideal of returning spatial rights to the people through public building design.
Functional Solution
Contemporary sports facilities face diverse functional demands, which challenge the spatial organization within sports venues. They must support regular competitions, training, national fitness activities, and commercial operations. This calls for flexible spatial arrangements with high utilization to maximize value. The gymnasium’s main functions are divided into two independent yet interconnected volumes: the eastern section serves as the sports competition hall with the main audience entrance, while the western section functions as a relatively independent training hall and national fitness area.
These two areas can operate concurrently during events without interference. Their organic integration addresses differing spatial needs during competitions and other times, ensuring flexibility and adaptability for future operations. Architecturally, the unified and pure volume creates an iconic public building.
Supporting Structures, Facilities, Parking, Access & Circulation
Completed in 2018, Bozhou Sports Center is situated in Bozhou City’s southern new district in Anhui Province. The project covers roughly 82,000 square meters with a total built-up area of approximately 48,650 square meters, featuring 1 to 3 floors above ground and 1 basement level. Classified as a Class B medium-sized venue, it offers 4,371 fixed seats and 1,652 temporary seats. The arena is suitable for domestic and regional large to medium-scale events and supports national fitness activities in Bozhou.
Ground-level and underground parking accommodate 353 vehicles. The underground parking includes two dual-lane entrances/exits on the building’s southwest and northeast sides. The main audience entrance is on the east side, facing the municipal park across Xianweng Road, while a secondary entrance is on the west side. The building is bordered by major urban roads to the east and south, with a wide public space between the roads and the structure to facilitate evacuation, parking, and landscaping. This square serves as both a striking backdrop for the building and a venue capable of hosting large events and gatherings of tens of thousands, enhancing the urban vitality by showcasing public life and social activity.
Landscape Details
The design abstracts inverted trapezoids inspired by Han Dynasty architecture and artifacts, using these geometric shapes as the building’s fundamental form. Surrounding the structure are square reflecting pools that enhance the building’s form by providing a horizontal “base,” emphasizing purity and strength. The water pools also soften the building’s rigidity through reflection, enriching the landscape’s layers. Additionally, the shallow pools serve as rainwater reservoirs and help regulate the microclimate—especially in summer—by lowering temperatures and delivering humid air into the open public hall.
Project Background
Located in northwest Anhui Province at the southern edge of the North China Plain, Bozhou City lies within a warm temperate zone characterized by a semi-humid climate with distinct monsoon influences. The area experiences mild weather, abundant sunshine, moderate rainfall, and four distinct seasons. Frequent conflicts between cold and warm air masses cause variable weather and significant annual precipitation fluctuations. The city’s average annual temperature is 14.9°C, with 2,184 hours of sunshine, a frost-free period of 213 days, and an average yearly rainfall of 831 millimeters.
Given these climatic conditions, the building’s exterior skin plays a crucial role in shaping the semi-indoor, semi-outdoor public spaces. It helps regulate the microclimate by providing shade and rain shelter during spring and summer while allowing cool convective winds. In winter, it permits direct sunlight to warm the interiors.
The façade employs perforated aluminum panels attached to the structural frame. After extensive on-site testing, the panel perforations were set at 4 cm with 6 cm spacing, achieving the desired semi-transparent effect while maintaining a substantial presence befitting an iconic building. The perforated skin effectively shades the space and filters outdoor air through its openings, gently introducing it into the public hall and ensuring comfort without air conditioning during hot seasons. Transparent glass skylights on the roof’s horizontal rafters admit direct summer sunlight from above, but due to the space’s openness and convective airflow, excessive heat gain is avoided.
During winter, the sun’s lower elevation angle allows light from the east and south to penetrate the hall through the triangular colonnade. Like a kaleidoscope, the public hall vividly reflects Bozhou’s changing weather throughout the year, becoming a stage for sunshine, wind, and rain, and a vibrant setting for the daily public life of Bozhou’s residents.
Bozhou is a historically and culturally significant city in China, home to figures such as Hua Tuo and Cao Cao, and the cradle of Han, Three Kingdoms, and Wei Jin cultures. The concept of “Hanfeng” (Han style) transcends mere urban aesthetics and reflects a deliberate cultural choice in the architectural design. The inverted trapezoid form—drawn from Han Dynasty architecture and artifacts—serves as the building’s geometric foundation. The folding façade draws inspiration from the shoulder armor of Han Dynasty soldiers, forming a continuous triangular three-dimensional structure. Silver perforated aluminum plates, attached to the structural frame, evoke the metallic texture of armor. The building’s inverted trapezoidal shape causes the folding façade to tilt progressively along the horizontal plane, creating a dynamic effect that opens naturally at the main and secondary entrances—reminiscent of a slowly rising stage curtain.
Project Significance
As a major public cultural facility, large and medium-sized sports venues often serve as cultural landmarks due to their substantial scale, multifaceted functions, high attendance, and complex circulation. Their construction becomes a significant public event within the city, making the “publicness” of such buildings a key measure of their contribution to urban life. Bozhou Sports Center’s design prioritizes creating inclusive public spaces and expressing communal culture, going beyond functional requirements to embody the true public spirit of sports architecture. It serves as a “city living room” accessible to everyone at all times, fulfilling architects’ social mission to return spatial rights to the people through thoughtful public building design.
Project Information:
Architectural firm: Yuan Ye Architectural Studio
Location: Bozhou City, Anhui Province, China
Category: Sports Venues
Design Agency: China Construction Design Group Co., Ltd
Designers: Yuan Ye, Qin Xu
Building Area: 45,000 m²
Project Year: 2018
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