Asian Youth Games Stadium – design description

The stadium is being built in the port city of Shantou, located in Guangdong province. The construction of the facility takes place just 50 metres away from the shores of the South China Sea, in the Tagangwei district, on land entirely reclaimed from the sea. The stadium is to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2021 Asian Youth Games.

The venue is part of the first phase of the East Campus of Shantou University and the Asian Youth Conference Venue Project, which also includes the creation of an 8,000-seat gymnastics hall, a conference centre, a training ground and an outdoor event platform. Construction in the wetland was quite a challenge. The laying of the foundations of the stadium and the nearby hall was preceded by driving 2,768 pipe piles.

The most iconic element of Asian Youth Games Stadium is the roof. The designer himself describes it as "dancing waves", which is a natural reference to the influence of the sea on the city and its inhabitants. Moreover, we know that the facility will have two-story stands and an athletics track around the pitch.

The roofs of the stadium, hall and conference centre are connected with each other and the whole is one structure. The largest arch truss is 120 metres long and weighs 1,000 tons. It was raised in batches to a height exceeding 30 metres at the highest point. Additionally, the roof has 11 structural and decorative layers

The stadium has a construction area of 46 600 square metres and four overground storeys. The conference centre with a building area of 19,100 square metres will accommodate 1,000 people in the main hall. After the Asian Youth Games, the venue is to be used mainly for athletics events.