The design embraces the concept of a “sports mall,” featuring a radial layout described as “one heart, multiple cores,” seamlessly integrating various elements into a cohesive whole.
Opening Ceremony of Tongxiang Li Ning Sports Park © Tongcheng Committee (Tongcheng Group)
At the 15th Party Congress of Tongxiang City, the “Ten Major Projects” initiative was launched to foster a new Tongxiang defined by digital civilization and shared prosperity. A key focus is the New Era Elegant Tongxiang Shaping Project, aimed at advancing cultural prosperity and vitality. The National Fitness Center and Li Ning Sports Park serve as central landmarks in this public cultural development initiative. After much anticipation, the Tongxiang National Fitness Center and Li Ning Sports Park—a landmark sports complex for millions—has officially opened!
Since China successfully hosted the 2008 Olympic Games, rising living standards have shifted the focus of sports facility development from professional competitive sports toward mass participation, as well as the comprehensive growth of sports culture and industry. The Tongxiang National Fitness Center aligns with this new era, supporting the ambition to build a sports powerhouse.
01 Project Location: Cultural, Sports, and Tourism Axis
Situated on Wuzhen Avenue, the Tongxiang National Fitness Center anchors a cultural, sports, and tourism axis connecting Tongxiang’s city center with Wuzhen, enhancing urban vitality.
The design integrates the building mass of the fitness center and the surrounding sports park into a unified whole, with the fitness center acting as an anchor. This approach creates ample public open spaces and encourages social interaction, establishing a new type of cultural and sports hub that blends sports, culture, nature, and urban life. This urban living room promotes a healthy lifestyle for the community’s future.
02 Functional Business Model: Big Sports
The project embraces the concept of “big sports,” incorporating competitive, mass, and leisure sports into the design to cater to diverse athletic interests.
The main building houses a multifunctional competition hall, swimming pool, and national fitness center. The competition hall innovatively combines spaces for periodic competitive sports with areas for daily mass activities.
The venue’s main space spans 5,000 square meters, optimized for flexible use by combining fixed and movable seating. This configuration supports multifunctional sports and cultural events, accommodating up to 3,000 spectators during competitions, meeting the standards of a secondary-tier sports arena.
Expanding beyond traditional competitive sports, the design includes activities such as rock climbing, trampoline, rehabilitation, children’s skill training, and e-sports, broadening the fitness center’s appeal.
These modern facilities are designed to inspire enthusiasm and encourage widespread participation in sports activities.
03 Space Planning: Sports MALL
The spatial layout adopts the “Sports MALL” concept with a radial design of “one center, multiple cores,” unifying the complex into a harmonious entity.
The “one heart” represents a sunny shared courtyard, while “multi cores” refer to various distinct activity venues surrounding it.
△ Hotel
△ Hotel
The shared atrium enhances public circulation while maximizing interaction between activities through visual and behavioral connections. Each courtyard space expresses its own unique character and function.
The gymnastics hall features energetic textures and expansive curved windows that visually connect indoor activities with the atrium. The trampoline hall employs perforated metal panels with varying transparency, reflecting diverse preferences for openness and privacy.
△ Trampoline Hall
A large staircase in the courtyard links the first and second floors, providing seating, resting areas, and a small performance stage for citizens. The climbing hall adjacent to the stairs features a wall facing the atrium’s rock facade, suitable for hosting climbing competitions.
△ Gymnasium atrium
△ Climbing hall
Every area offers vantage points for both observing and being observed, creating a dynamic environment where everyone is simultaneously participant and spectator.
We believe that well-designed spaces encourage people to be active and open, express themselves fully, and discover healthy recreational activities that suit their interests. Such spaces foster meaningful communication and interaction not only among friends but also with strangers. In a society increasingly defined by online barriers, this kind of genuine, face-to-face connection is more valuable and rare than virtual communication.
04 External Space and Landscape Integration
Traditional sports parks often feature standard 400-meter running tracks and full-sized football fields. After extensive research, it was found that running lanes are highly utilized, while standard football fields have lower usage and require significant maintenance. Therefore, the design replaces the standard football field with a popular 5-a-side football field and incorporates a more engaging and varied running track design.
The ground-level running track stretches 2.3 kilometers, weaving through landscaped areas, concealed fire lanes, outdoor sports zones, water play areas, wetlands, and plazas.
The second-floor running track extends 1.2 kilometers, connecting the park with the rooftop garden atop the building. This design enriches the running experience, fosters interaction between indoor and outdoor spaces, and efficiently manages pedestrian flow on the second level.
From the city, through the park, to the fitness center, a unique flow of sports, culture, and leisure experiences is created. We anticipate this project will become a vibrant public hub for Tongxiang residents, weaving together sports activities, entertainment, relaxation, and nature into daily life.
Source © Li Ning Operations
The completion and opening of the National Fitness Center and Li Ning Sports Park mark a significant step in Tongxiang’s pursuit of common prosperity and urban beautification. This project supports the city’s vision to become an international, Jiangnan-style quality city. We hope the fitness center not only serves as a vibrant public venue for citizens of Tongxiang and nearby areas but also sets a valuable example for future mass sports facility development across China.
Project Information
Location: Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province
Owner: Tongxiang Zhendong New District Construction Investment Co., Ltd
Architectural Design: Botao Architectural Design (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd
Lead Designer: Shi Xudong
Design Team: Zhan Hantao, Qi Hongxing, Jiang Junjia, Bai Chunfei, Huang Kaibin, Xu Gongxiang, Lin Jing, Sun Wei, Wang Hong, Fang Ming, Mao Zujie, Yu Qing
Land Area: 152,700 square meters
Building Area: 96,400 square meters
Function: Sports Architecture
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