© Highlight image
© Highlight image
The New Beijing Institute of Technology Sports Center, located in Liangxiang—a satellite city of Beijing—serves as the gateway to the new campus alongside the adjacent sports hall. This facility adds approximately 15,700 square meters of sports space to the university, featuring a 3,000-seat basketball arena, a 10-lane swimming pool, gymnasium, martial arts area, as well as dedicated rooms for boxing, taekwondo, table tennis, and more.
△ General layout plan
© Beijing Horizon Aerial Photography
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
Beijing Institute of Technology has a longstanding emphasis on military science. For this project, inspiration was drawn from Leonardo da Vinci’s aircraft and the parabolic curves prevalent in military science. This reflects da Vinci’s interdisciplinary dialogue between science, architecture, and art. After exploring the history of art and science, three floating, interconnected roof surfaces were designed, supported by spatial grid structures that maintain the topological relationship among the curved forms.
The metal roof system is vertically locked, complemented by a curtain wall system covering the facades. Aluminum metal is extensively applied across roofs, ceilings, and exterior surfaces, establishing a cohesive metallic aesthetic that resonates with the industrial character associated with military design.
Concept analysis
△ Roof composition diagram
△ Construction site © Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
© Beijing Horizon Aerial Photography
Leonardo da Vinci, the quintessential “Renaissance man,” advocated for the development of both physical and mental strengths. Embodying this philosophy, the Beijing Institute of Technology Sports Center is designed to foster a multidimensional and open campus environment. It encourages both physical fitness and mental development, promoting dialogue between different schools.
The design emphasizes spatial permeability at both urban and architectural levels. Urban integration is achieved by situating the basketball court at the building’s southeast corner, connecting it to the main pedestrian flow and campus street life. The swimming pool, positioned on the west side, links directly to the central square of the campus.
△ First floor plan
△ Indoor airflow analysis
© Jin Weiqi
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
© Highlight image
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
At the architectural scale, the elevated seating of the basketball court creates an interconnected space beneath on the ground floor, enhancing the connection between indoor and outdoor areas. This design forms a visual and spatial corridor from the street into the campus. Between the swimming pool and basketball court, a built-in entrance corridor connects two previously separated north-south sections of the campus through its north-south exits.
© Jin Weiqi
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
© Highlight image
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
© Jin Weiqi
© Jin Weiqi
On the third floor, above the basketball seating area, a large window offers views overlooking the entrance corridor, the swimming pool across the hall, and the adjacent campus area.
© Jin Weiqi
© Jin Weiqi
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
On the second, third, and fourth floors, the sports rooms located behind the swimming pool—such as taekwondo, table tennis, and a testing center—each have separate entrances to the pool area and share a skylight above the pool. This transparent spatial interface allows vertical visual penetration through nested sectional relationships.
△ Functional analysis
© Jin Weiqi
© Jin Weiqi
© Jin Weiqi
© Jin Weiqi
© Jin Weiqi
© Jin Weiqi
© Jin Weiqi
© Highlight image
△ Roof differentiation
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
© Highlight image
© Highlight image
© Highlight image
© Jin Weiqi
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
© Atelier Alter Architects: Contemporary Architecture
Models and Drawings
△ Model 1
△ Model 2
△ Basement floor plan
△ Second floor plan
△ Third floor plan
△ Fourth floor plan
△ Roof plan
△ Section profiles 1-1 & 2-2
△ Section profiles 3-3 & 4-4
△ Node detail
Project Information
Owner: Beijing Institute of Technology
Location: Beijing, China
Category: Sports Center
Architectural Concept and Interior Design: Atelier Alter Architects, Contemporary Architecture
Design General Contractor: China Zhongyuan International Engineering Co., Ltd
Design Consultant: Beijing Hanhua Architectural Design Co., Ltd
Lead Designers: Zhang Jiyuan, Bu Xiaojun
Architectural Design Team: Li Zhenwei, Qin Kai, Jiang Ping, Huang Wei, Liu Tongwei, Du Dehu, Zhang Jiahe, Yan Ran, Zheng Lairong, Mei Jiaming, Song Lidong, Zhao Xiaoxiao, Zhang Jingjing, Wei Bida, Xiong Wei, Chen Weidi, Guo Xiaoqing, Da Xueyun, Huang Bo, Ma Leilei, Cao Hui
Structural Engineering: China Zhongyuan International Engineering Co., Ltd
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: China Zhongyuan International Engineering Co., Ltd
Interior Design: Atelier Alter Architects – Contemporary Architecture
Landscape Design: China Zhongyuan International Engineering Co., Ltd
Curtain Wall Consultant: Shenzhen Pengge Curtain Wall Design Consulting Co., Ltd
Lighting Consultant: ZDP Zhongchen Yuanzhan Han Wenjing Studio, Jingyun Youjin Lighting Design
Acoustic Consultant: China Zhongyuan International Engineering Co., Ltd
Engineering Supervision: Beijing Zhongjing Hengji Engineering Management Co., Ltd
Construction Contractor: Beijing Construction Engineering Group Co., Ltd
Fine Decoration Contractor: Beijing Senhongli Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd
Curtain Wall Construction: Shandong Tianmu Group Corporation
Manufacturers: Huo Gaowen Building Systems (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd., Taitong Construction Co., Ltd., Beijing Bolongsheng Industry and Trade Co., Ltd
Cost: 152 million RMB
Area: 15,692 square meters
Project Completion: July 2019
Photographers: Jin Weiqi, Highlite Images (highlight images), Atelier Alter Architects Time and Environment Architecture
Image copyright: Atelier Alter Architects
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