Xiamen Egret Stadium – design description

Construction takes place in the Xiang'an district, located in the city of Xiamen (Southeast China). The stadium is one of ten arenas selected to host the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

From the top, the facility is to resemble an egret taking flight. This effect will be achieved thanks to the appearance of the roof, based on two huge arches. The canopy in the middle reaches its highest point and on the sides it is visibly lowered. Intertwined elements in the roof structure are a reference to the Minnan architectural style.

Wind from the bay will provide excellent ventilation through openings in the building's facade. The construction area of the arena is 180,600 square metres. At the highest point the stadium is to be 85 metres tall to the west and 77 metres to the east.

The venue is to enable conversion from football to athletics within 7 days. It will be possible thanks to movable lower stands, which have been divided into two rings. The inner ring can be moved and the outer ring raised and lowered. This action is to make room for an athletics track. In total, there will be 26,000 seats in the movable part of the tribunes.

Above, two more levels of stands are planned, which are of a permanent nature. It is worth mentioning that there will be an 80 metre wide opening between the middle and upper tiers, which provide spectators from the upper sectors to the north and northeast with a view of the coast.

Two sports halls are being built next to the stadium: Phoenix Gymnasium (18,000 seats) and White Dolphin Swimming Hall (5,000 seats). The first one is to convert from basketball to ice hockey and back again. Together with Xiamen Egret Stadium, they are lined up in a row, and this arrangement refers to blooming bougainvillea flowers.