Incheon Stadium Building, South Korea Arena Design, Architecture, Architect, Images

Incheon Asian Games Main Stadium

New Seoul Building, Republic of Korea – design by Populous / Heerim Architects & Planners

8 May 2014

Main Stadium in Incheon

Location: Incheon, South Korea

Design: Populous with Heerim Architects & Planners Co., Ltd., Gangdong-gu, Seoul, Korea

Construction complete on 2014 Incheon Asian Games Main Stadium

The celebration to mark the official end of construction on the main stadium for the 2014 Incheon Asian Games which begins September 19th was held in Incheon, South Korea on May 7th 2014.

The stadium for the 17th Asian games was designed by the global architects Populous in association with local firm Heerim Architects and Planners and illustrates a new level of sustainable design in stadia in Asia.

The multipurpose stadium will hold 60,000 people during the Games will reduce down to a single sided grandstand for 30,000 afterwards as a People’s Park for the city of Incheon.

Legacy and sustainability were the driving factors in designing the stadium in Incheon. Populous Senior Principal Andrew James:

“We wanted to take a fresh look at the way we treat adaptable stadia in Incheon.

“Rather than considering how we could shrink a 60,000 seat stadium, we turned the idea on its head and thought let’s build a 30,000 seat stadium and add 30,000 temporary seats.

“This approach provided multiple advantages. Financially it reduced the building by two thirds meaning there are substantial savings in operational and maintenance costs. Secondly, it meant the permanent seats could be sited in the optimal position for these sports, in this instance, in the West stand.

“But the biggest advantage in the design is the freedom it provided in terms of legacy. The plans were always based on a community park, which after the Games, will replace the Eastern stand, forming a traditional stadium hill, with plazas on the north and south ends, providing atmospheric spectator viewing during a match , and a green space for the public to enjoy at all other times.