
Photograph by Hufton + Crow
Xi'an, China
2020 - 2025
Xixian Central Business District Construction and Development
Xi'an International Football Centre

Photograph by Hufton + Crow

Photograph by Hufton + Crow

Photograph by Hufton + Crow

Photograph by Hufton + Crow

Photograph by Hufton + Crow
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Xi’an International Football Centre’s 60,000-seat stadium and training grounds are integral to the ongoing development of football in China. Initiated by the Chinese Football Association and China’s national sports development organisations, the new football centre provides facilities of the highest standards to nurture the sport across all levels—from international competition to grassroots community leagues and youth training academies; enabling all generations to gather, play and celebrate football's unifying spirit.
Situated within the orthogonal urban grid of the city’s Fengdong district and its stations on Line 16 of Xi’an’s growing Metro network, the stadium’s open façades invite the city into the heart of the building to enjoy its public spaces, recreation and dining facilities throughout every day of the year. Positioned within a series of shaded south-facing terraces with views over the city, these amenities also serve spectators during football matches, cultural events and performances.


Photograph by Hufton + Crow
The stadium’s sweeping geometries are defined to minimize the impacts of prevailing winds from the north that chill the city each winter. The fluid forms of the roof shelter the saddle-shaped structure designed to maximize availability of spectator seating at midfield.
An ultra-lightweight long span cable-net roof structure generates minimal loads to significantly reduce embodied carbon within the stadium by minimizing the materials required for its primary structure. Wide perimeter roof overhangs shelter facilities within the building's envelope while the large, shaded, open-air terraces and public concourses provide comfortable conditions in the hot summers of Xi’an’s continental climate.
Supported by the tensioned cable-net structure, a translucent membrane over the seating bowl protects spectators from inclement weather and direct sunlight while also allowing maximum levels of natural light to reach the playing surface, promoting the growth of grass on the pitch to provide playing conditions of the highest standard.

Photograph by Hufton + Crow

Photograph by Hufton + Crow

Photograph by Hufton + Crow

Photograph by Hufton + Crow
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Digital modelling has defined the geometry of the spectators’ seating bowl to optimize proximity and views to the field of play from all 60,000 seats, generating the most exciting atmosphere for football and ensuring an outstanding match experience for all players and spectators.
China’s ancient capital and historic eastern terminus of the Silk Road, Xi’an’s has a long history of welcoming visitors from around the world. In the global arena of football, Xi’an International Football Centre continues this tradition and builds a legacy of new civic spaces, sports, and recreational facilities for the city’s nine million residents and its many youth, league, and professional football clubs.
Sports
From the world’s first timber-built football stadium to an international sports centre providing multi-sport facilitites to athletes of all ages, discover our latest sports projects.

Photograph by Virgile Simon Bertrand
ZHA’s first sports and commercial project in Asia, GO PARK Sai Sha is nestled between the mountains of Hong Kong’s Ma On Shan Country Park and the sheltered waters of Three Fathoms Cove which leads out to the South China Sea.

Photograph by SeilaoJiong 张灏
Sports Centre
Situated at the southern end of Guangzhou’s Nansha District on the western bank of the historic Pearl River, the Greater Bay Area Sports Centre will serve as an anchor to the new civic, business and residential district at the heart of the Greater Bay Area.

Render by Negativ
The team comprising ZHA working with architecture, engineering consultancy Sweco and landscape architects Tredje Natur has won the competition to build the new Aarhus football stadium in Denmark.

Render by Proloog
Located within Hangzhou’s Future Science and Technology Cultural District, the sports centre establishes a new riverfront park and public plazas with direct access to Lines 3 and 5 of the city’s expanding metro network.

Photograph by Hufton + Crow
Legacy Mode : December 2013
A concept inspired by the fluid geometry of water in motion, creating spaces and a surrounding environment in sympathy with the river landscape of the Olympic Park. An undulating roof sweeps up from the ground as a wave, enclosing the pools of the Centre with its unifying gesture.

Photograph by Roland Halbe
ZHA's ski jump on Bergisel mountains contains a ski ramp and sports facilities, as well as public spaces, including a tower-top café and viewing terrace. Rising to a height of almost 50m the structure’s distinctive form and silhouette extends the topography of the ski slopes below into the alpine sky above.

Inaugurated on 16 May 2019 by hosting the Amir Cup Final of the Qatar Stars national football league, Al Janoub Stadium was the first new stadium commissioned for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

Courtesy of ZHA, render by MIR
The Eco Park stadium for Forest Green Rovers will be an important addition for the community. The club’s heritage, ambition and vision reflect ZHA’s own, combining the latest material research and construction techniques with new design approaches to build a more ecologically sustainable and inclusive architecture.
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