Light thread, Gymnasium Building China, Beijing Project, Chinese Sports Design Images

Beijing Olympic Wrestling Arena

China Agricultural University Gymnasium: Beijing Olympic Wrestling Arena Building by EASTERN design office, architects

28 Dec 2011

Beijing Olympic Wrestling Arena Design

THE NATIONAL ART MUSEUM OF CHINA BEIJING, CHINA

Location: Beijing, China

Design: EASTERN design office + KAWAGUCHI & ENGINEERS

China Agricultural University’s Gymnasium – ‘Light thread’ building design

image : EASTERN design office

Redevelopment of the Wrestling Arena for The Olympics 2008

It is the international design proposal competition for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Wrestling Arena. During the Olympic Games, the wrestling arena had a 10,000-person capacity. After the Olympic Games, 4,000 temporary seats were taken out to and the interior refitted with three arenas, a pool, and 6000 seats to transform the space into a gymnasium complex.

pictures from EASTERN design office

The site is on the campus of the Chinese Agriculture University and after the Olympic Games, this building came into the possession of the Chinese Agriculture University. EASTERN design office sought to create a condition that allows the special requirements of the Olympic Wrestling Arena and the functional features of a building for the Chinese Agriculture University to both be fulfilled in a single construction.

Design Concept

Light Thread
“Light Thread” forms this architecture.
“Light Thread” symbolizes a pulse of multiple lives. This innovative idea brings a completely new architectural form by its lighting and illuminating effect and by its construct method, which nobody has ever seen in the world. “Light Thread” is cut out three-dimensionally from a rectangular concrete body. This quite rational, beautiful, simple and strong method creates architecture economically.

Forest
This architecture is a forest.
“Light Thread” covers the whole architecture. According to a lighting condition, some “Light Thread” makes an area of ceramic printed glass with various characteristic patterns on it, which introduces sunlight to inside. It seems as like a nature wraps the architecture in grass with its flowers and fruits. Its complex appearance reminds an eloquent life of plants. We can find an amazingly eloquent light from there. As like a light in forest this architecture is luxuriance.

Light Wall
This light wall functions as a structural wall.
The dynamic “Light Thread” on this architecture is made by a flat bar type steel that fits within a wall thickness of 400mm. It composes a very stable triangular lattice with sewing the slit. By this method “Light Thread” forms wall structure with keeping flexibility of direction. And it enables to realize various design of the slit in a huge architectural scale. This structural system is a very unique one in the world.

Leafscape
A landscape of this architecture is soils, roots and water, which bring up a forest, that is to say earth. It is abstracted “Leaf” which comes down on the earth.
The landscape of abstracted “Leaf” becomes a center of the east campus. According to the master plan concept of the campus of China Agricultural University, high-rise buildings areas are arranged on the perimeter of the campus. Therefore, the roof and the landscape of this architecture can be seen well from the high-rise buildings. Beautiful scenery of “Leafscape” in the east campus with beautiful woods of gingko, maple tree, white birch and oak etc. in a image of the forest mingled in the universal rectangle shaped architecture is in harmony with a shine on 小月川 river.

Luminous Structure
“Light Thread” over this architecture is a light tube.
“Light Thread” leads a daylight to the interior space, which is as like a play of sunlight through the trees. In the night it radiates light by a progressive light-up system. The light tube reminds a physical motion pulse of wrestling games. It glows as a luminous structure, namely lighting wire frame.

Gymnasium with Four Fields
This architecture is a gymnasium of “4 + 4”.
There are four arenas and four halls inside. Four arenas are namely a main arena, a sub arena, a swimming pool and a martial arts arena. Four halls are namely a dance studio, a training room, a music room and a conference hall. The architecture has an universal rectangular plan.

It enables a rational coordination between various functions during the Olympics and the Paralympics economically. And also, it will realize long life facility usability as a proud Cultural Gymnasium of China Agricultural University. Moreover, almost of the arenas and the halls locate on ground floor level, which enables to use the gymnasium together with outer playground.

Innovative form by “Light Thread”
Innovative Façade by “Light Thread”
This architecture has an abstract form with random crossing curves on a rectangular body.
Its façade has a dynamic, unique and amazing strongness.
With its strong ness a lithe form of “Light Thread” symbolizes a feeling of plant’s life growing from a ground to a sky, a pulse of sports and an energy of the Olympics, which reminds an image of a dynamism, a growth, a development and a breakthrough of China in future.

Dramatic Interior Space
“Light Thread” creates a dramatic space with a calm and tender daylight crossing inside. The interior space of this architecture is luxurious as like a forest with the play of sunlight through the trees.

Form inspiring Imagination
“Light Thread” is an abstract form, which inspires various imagination. This form expresses a feeling of plants’ life and a physical motion of athletes. At the same time it realizes a symbolic character as a facility for the Olympics and also as a main facility of China Agricultural University.

pictures from EASTERN design office