Guangzhou FC Stadium – design description

Located in the southern Panyu district, the new stadium of Evergrande will sit not far away from the modern Guangzhou South Station, ensuring easy commute for residents of the metropolis.

The concept came as a result of a closed competition between 8 top architectural practices invited to pitch their ideas. It is said that chairman of the Evegrande Group, Xu Jiayin, heavily influenced the outcome. Despite numerous ambitious and futuristic visions, this rather traditional approach to symbolism proved victorious.

The stadium is inspired by a flower (lotus), matching Guangzhou's reputation as the City of Flowers. Its fiery red primary colour reflects both Evergrande's coat of arms and the city's colours. At night, however, it's expected to light up in many more colours.

Though upon groundbreaking Evergrande enjoyed a following of 50,000+ per game, the new stadium's goal is nearly twice that: 100,000. This will make it the largest football-specific all-seater in the world, at least until Camp Nou is expanded.

The seating bowl is divided into three rings, comprising 16 VVIP lounges and 152 VIP boxes. Construction area of 300,000 m² might make the stadium the largest ever in terms of floor space. Initially the price tag was announced to be CNY 6.8 billion, but upon groundbreaking it was corrected to 12 billion ($1.7 billion), making it one of the most expensive in history.