In 2018, MAD Architecture Firm unveiled the design for Quzhou Sports Park. By 2021, the “Disappearing Stadium,” a key facility within the park with a seating capacity of 30,000, was completed and opened to the public.
“Our goal is to create a land art space that invites everyone to participate—a dialogue between heaven, earth, and the natural scenery of Zhejiang. It offers a roaming environment for individuals navigating modern cities,” said Ma Yansong.
MAD envisions urban public spaces and sports facilities as overlapping entities that unite competitive sports with everyday life. The stadium functions as a public urban space—open, shared, and connected to nature, belonging to the community. The inherent competitive energy of an “arena” is subtly concealed within the earth’s landscape through innovative architectural design and construction techniques.
The design by MAD merges sports facilities with natural landscapes, crafting a land art scene reminiscent of volcanic formations and a mirror lake at the city’s heart. The architecture departs from traditional stadium designs that emphasize structural robustness, instead embracing an intrinsic, subtle beauty. The interiors and exteriors seamlessly connect with nature, inspiring visitors to experience a spiritual harmony with the environment. Once completed, Quzhou Sports Park will be the world’s largest complex of earth-covered buildings.
30,000-Seat Stadium
Urban Public Space as Earth Art
The 30,000-seat stadium, inspired by a meteorite crater, appears to crawl along the ground. The massive grandstand structure is concealed, causing the building’s volume to seemingly vanish into the landscape. Its facade is cloaked in greenery, blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment. White lines trace new curves, some functioning as pedestrian pathways. The sloped facade offers a space for exercise, climbing, and leisure, while the gentle grassy slopes provide a relaxing spot for visitors post-activity.
Simple Concrete
The entire stadium is supported by 60 concrete columns and walls. The exposed wood-grain finish of the plain concrete panels eliminates the need for interior and exterior decorative layers, serving both as structure and building surface. Entrances and exits are shaped with irregular hyperbolic concrete forms. The main north and south entrances feature overlapping circular arches with spans reaching nearly 40 meters. The purity of the concrete and meticulous design details soften the stadium’s mass while creating a dynamic spatial rhythm.
Floating Crown of Light
Above the concrete structure sits a “light crown” canopy, a wind and rain shelter supported by a steel frame. This canopy is anchored on the stands at only nine points, spanning up to 95 meters between supports. This design offers uninterrupted sight lines both inside and outside the stadium, enhancing transparency and openness. Unlike traditional rain shelters, a transparent film material envelops the steel space truss, giving the impression that the canopy floats like a cloud. This integration of artistic form and functionality is further enhanced by the use of a semi-transparent PTFE membrane on the canopy’s upper surface and microporous PTFE beneath, improving noise reduction.
Natural and Organic Visual Effects
The stadium’s wayfinding system was collaboratively designed by MAD and the original research team. Instead of traditional linear seating arrangements, the grandstand follows the “landscape of the earth” concept with the theme “sunlight filtering through leaves.” Seats are divided organically into five gradient shades of green, with 30,000 seats arranged on saddle-shaped stands to create a fresh and continuous visual flow.
Outdoor signage avoids traditional standing signs or billboards. Instead, stone and metal signs are embedded in the ground in a mosaic pattern, harmonizing with the stadium’s design and echoing the “disappearing stadium” concept.
Sustainable Features
All functional spaces of the stadium, except for the stands and infield, are located beneath the landscaped ground cover. MAD and landscape designers selected grass species suited to Quzhou’s multi-season climate, requiring low maintenance and minimal water. This planting layer helps moderate temperature fluctuations within the building.
The soil covering also supports the integration of architecture with sponge city landscape design. It absorbs, stores, filters, and gradually releases rainwater, providing resilience against environmental changes and mitigating the impact of rainwater-related natural disasters.
The concrete materials used in the stadium are locally sourced, minimizing transportation of steel and other decorative materials during construction.
In October 2021, the Quzhou Sports Stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the Fourth Zhejiang Provincial Sports Congress, marking its official inauguration. Beyond national events, the stadium also serves as a venue for large cultural and artistic performances. It remains open daily for public use, welcoming citizens for visits, relaxation, and everyday activities.
Quzhou Sports Park Overview
Covering approximately 700,000 square meters, Quzhou Sports Park features a total construction area of around 340,000 square meters across Phase I and Phase II. Facilities include a 30,000-seat stadium, a 10,000-seat sports center, a swimming pool, a national sports complex, outdoor sports installations, a science and technology museum, a youth palace, a hotel, and commercial amenities.
The Wanren Sports Center, Swimming Pool, and National Sports Complex (three halls) are situated adjacent to each other on the park’s northeast side, all beneath a landscaped cover. Above ground, rolling “mountains” rise, intersected by winding white pedestrian pathways. Visitors experience varying perspectives and interactions as they move through the space. Large skylights at the “mountaintops” and “foothills” bring natural light inside, promoting energy efficiency and strengthening the indoor-outdoor connection.
The Wanren Sports Center’s roof features a concrete arch shell spanning 130 meters. All sports lighting is integrated into the ceiling structure, preserving the purity and elegance of the architecture.
The swimming pool complex is composed of multiple bubble-shaped functional spaces. These “bubble” spheres form both the space and structure of the building, with numerous openings at the top allowing abundant natural light inside.
The Phase I sports stadium of Quzhou Sports Park is complete and operational. The underground structures of the three pavilions are finished, with above-ground construction progressing steadily. Phase II planning and detailed design for various functional buildings are underway.
Project Drawings
△ General layout plan
△ First floor plan
△ Second floor plan
△ Elevation drawing
△ Elevation drawing
△ Section diagram
△ Structural analysis diagram
△ Structural schematic diagram
△ Structural schematic diagram
△ Structural Model Diagram
Project Information
Stadium base area: 33,731 square meters
Stadium building area: 58,565 square meters
Sports Park base area: 610,556 square meters (Phase I: 327,370 sqm; Phase II: 283,186 sqm)
Construction area of sports park: 390,074 square meters (Phase I: 269,474 sqm; Phase II: 120,600 sqm)
Lead Partners: Ma Yansong, Party Masses, Yokosuke Hayano
Vice Partners in charge: Liu Huiying, Li Jian, Fu Changrui
Design Team: Xu Chen, Li Cunhao, Li Guangchong, Li Gang, Lian Yiting, Kyung Eun Na, Ma Yin, Thoufeeq Ahmed, Alessandro Fisali, Li Hui, Tian Jin, Zhang Kai, Ma Yue, Melanie Weitz, Zhou Haimeng, Xiao Yuhan, Yuki Ishigami, Luis Torres, Su Le, Kang Wenzhao, Pittayapa Suriyapee, Yu Lin, Neeraj Mahajan, Zhang Bo, Connor Hymes, Zhang Yufei, Wang Qi, Song Minzhe, Cao Xi, Liu Hailun, Zhang Xiaomei, Zheng Kangcheng
Owners: Quzhou West District Development and Construction Management Committee, Quzhou Baoye Sports Operation Co., Ltd
Grade A Design Institute: Sidi International Design Consultant (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd
Landscape Planning and Design: PWP Landscape Architecture, EADG Pan Asia International, Beijing Yunhai Tiancheng Landscape Design Consulting Co., Ltd
Structural Consultant: Schlaich Bergermann Partner
Mechanical and Electrical Consultant: SC Consultant Limited
Curtain Wall Consultant: RFR Asia
Lighting Consultant: Beijing Ningzhijing Lighting Design Co., Ltd.
Logo Design: Yuan Yanzai (Japan Design Center)
Photography (sorted alphabetically): Aoguan Architectural Vision, CreatAR Images, Existing Architecture, Tian Fangfang
Motion Picture Shooting: Blackstation, Black Pixel
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