Xi'an International Football Stadium

Cuju, the earliest form of football, was invented in Xi’an during the Han Dynasty (202 BC– 220 AD). Xi’an, the city where football originated, is one of the ten cities to host the Asian Cup in 2023 and needs a new stadium specifically designed for football matches. The site of the stadium is at the core of a large new urban development—at the junction of the east-west axis connecting two of China’s most ancient cities, and the north-south axis along the Xi’Xian new area. Building a stadium at this central location challenges the current trend, in which most stadiums are located at cities’ peripheries, easily accessible for masses on match and event days, but become dull and isolated objects the rest of the year. In the design competition for the new stadium, we proposed an architecture that addresses both conditions: it will firstly be a modern football temple meeting the highest international standards for 62,000 visitors, and secondly the stadium will bring vitality to the large new central area in Xi’Xian on days without football matches or large scale events.