![Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center / NBBJ - Exterior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5ec5/ef7a/b357/65d5/2a00/01d9/newsletter/NBBJ_Hangzhou_N55-ShaoFeng.jpg?1590030163)
![Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center / NBBJ - Exterior Photography, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5ec5/efa7/b357/653e/6e00/0084/newsletter/NBBJ_Hangzhou_N56-ShaoFeng.jpg?1590030209)
Text description provided by the architects. To create a world-class sporting venue for the city of Hangzhou — one of the most prosperous cities in China that has tripled in size over the past decade — design firm NBBJ prioritized sustainability and human experience with a focus on much-needed public space for urban recreation. In 2018, an average two tons of CO2 were emitted for every ton of steel produced. Featuring an iconic lotus-petal design, the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center uses 67% less steel than Beijing’s National Stadium (the Bird’s Nest). The 80,000-seat Olympic-sized main stadium and 10,000-seat tennis court were designed via parametric scripts to save resources, get fans closer to the field and maximize sightlines to both the game itself and the Quiantang River.
![Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center / NBBJ - Image 2 of 21](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5ec5/efeb/b357/65d5/2a00/01da/newsletter/NBBJ_Hangzhou_N60-ShaoFeng.jpg?1590030254)
![Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center / NBBJ - Image 19 of 21](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5ec5/ee22/b357/653e/6e00/007f/newsletter/NBBJ_Hangzhou_N41-Section.jpg?1590029849)
![Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center / NBBJ - Interior Photography, Stairs, Handrail](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5ec5/f033/b357/65d5/2a00/01db/medium_jpg/NBBJ_Hangzhou_N61-ShaoFeng.jpg?1590030324)
To use less steel, model energy performance, and create flexibility, the design team employed computational scripts to reduce steel in two ways: 1) by linking the steel shell and concrete bowl together at each level so the two systems work in unison; and 2) by providing additional structure at the top of the bowl to reduce the roof cantilever. Because the model was parametric — computationally designed to respond to different inputs like the number of rows of seats, their distance from the field and sightline standards — design changes could be made with an extremely short turnaround, eliminating the “build-test-discard” method commonly deployed in traditional modeling.
![Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center / NBBJ - Exterior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5ec5/f0e4/b357/65d5/2a00/01de/newsletter/NBBJ_Hangzhou_N63-ShaoFeng.jpg?1590030500)
![Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center / NBBJ - Exterior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5ec5/ee03/b357/653e/6e00/007e/newsletter/NBBJ_Hangzhou_N46-ShaoFeng.jpg?1590029796)
To provide an active destination for fans and the community before, during and after games, the site’s flowing circulation creates a seamless three-level pedestrian experience of above-grade platforms, ground-level garden pathways and sunken courtyards that unite the main stadium, tennis court and retail spaces into China’s next-generation sports center.
![Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center / NBBJ - Exterior Photography, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5ec5/eeb5/b357/653e/6e00/0081/newsletter/NBBJ_Hangzhou_N49-ShaoFeng.jpg?1590029964)