Another sports park is planned to be built in the Chinese city of Datung, Shanxi province, not far from Beijing. The competition for the best design project was won by the architectural group Populous from St. Louis. For American architects, this will be the second project created for Asian athletes. The first was Buddhist stadium for the Asian Games, built in the South Korean city of Incheon.
The Chinese Sports Park will be part of a larger plan drawn up by the mayor of Datung to provide some renovation to the historic city. So, according to the plan of the authorities, there will be a new center, which will include the town hall, museums, conference rooms, and, in fact, sports facilities. Therefore, the sketches of the Populous architectural studio include a stadium for 30 thousand seats, a sports field (arena) for 8 thousand seats, a 1500-seat swimming pool and a huge gym with a lot of opportunities for lovers of a healthy lifestyle.
The unique design for Datong Sports Park was inspired by the landscapes and other beauties of the city's surroundings. But the most vivid impression, of course, was left by the Yungang Grotto and the Cloud Ridge Caves. Therefore, the entrance and entrance to the park is designed as if you are entering these very caves, where a lot of surprises and amazing impressions await you.
Works by architecture studio Populous can be viewed on their website.