Asian Games Athlete Village / C+d Design Center

Architects: c+d Design Center
Area: 68000 m²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Arch-Exist Photography, DC ALLIANCE
Principal Architect(S): Yi Dong
Project Team: Pan Gao, Weiwei He, Bin Wang, Chenkai Lu, Shuya Lin, Jiawei Hou, Ziyu Wang, Chunkily Tuan, Jingyi Huang, Junyu Huang, Ennol Wei, Yang Gao
Collaborative Design: AS+P, Shanghai Quanzhu Construction Decoration Design Co., Ltd.
Construction Drawing: Shanghai Trendzone Holdings Group Co., Ltd.
Construction: China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd.
Curtain Wall Design: Taimu Engineering Consulting (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.
Lighting Design: Yueyou Space Lighting Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Client: Hangzhou Xiaoshan Qianjiang Century City Development and Construction Co., Ltd
City: Hangzhou
Country: China

The Asian Games Athlete Village, designed by c+d Design Center, is located in the north unit of Qianjiang Century City, Hangzhou. This project is the core of the international zone during the Asian Games and will serve as an administration center, NOC (National Olympic Committee) service center, business and entertainment center, and a large basic service facility. Post-Games, these buildings will transform into key public structures supporting urban development in culture, art, and public space. The design addresses complex functions and land conditions, interprets traditional culture in a modern context, and responds to the sports theme of the Asian Games.

Asian games athlete village / c+d design center

Located in the north unit of Qianjiang Century City, Hangzhou, the project serves as the heart of the Asian Games Athlete Village, forming the international zone during the event. During the Asian Games, this international zone will function as the administration center, NOC (National Olympic Committee) service center, business and entertainment center, and a large basic service facility (110kv substation). It is designed to be the primary public activity area of the Athlete Village and the main showcase for the city’s image. Post-Games, these buildings will transform into significant public structures serving the city’s cultural, artistic, and public space needs, facilitating urban development.

At its inception, the project faced several unavoidable challenges: managing complex functions and land conditions, interpreting traditional culture in a modern context for cultural transmission, and responding to the sports theme of the Asian Games. To address these issues, the design employs the following strategies.

One City with Six Fields – Addressing Complex Conditions. The project must meet the demands of public activities in the Asian Games Athlete Village during the event while also planning for functional transformation afterward. The site, divided by urban roads, includes significant infrastructure such as a large substation and a concurrently constructed subway. To manage these complexities, the design strategy integrates all elements into a cohesive whole, combining the sports park, subway, substation, and other infrastructure, demonstrating the principle of integrated architecture and landscape design from an urban perspective.

The building land is allocated to the east side, while the west side, designated for the subway, is primarily used for public activity spaces. Urban public corridors connect structures with various functions, creating a cohesive overall layout. Six open spaces, facing different city directions and enclosed by corridors and four buildings, form six dynamic fields with distinct themes based on the adjacent buildings’ functions. The building and site interlace, presenting a semi-open pattern. Each site serves a unique function, contributing to different urban expressions and ultimately shaping the spatial characteristics of “One City with Six Fields.”

Specifically, Flag-raising Square and Gravity Square serve as the city’s portals on the north and south sides. Flag-raising Square, the site for the Asian Games Athlete Village’s flag-raising ceremony, stands as a key public space that is clean, solemn, and magnificent. To accommodate ceremonies and events, it includes VIP access to the rooftop village courtyard and an adjacent ceremonial garden. Gravity Square, the primary entrance on the north side, faces the high-speed train and will also serve as the main outdoor venue for the sports center.

Tree Array Square, located in the middle of the site, acts as the back garden of the Administration Center, balancing a sense of ritual with a relaxed atmosphere. On the west side, the parent-child playground, leisure field, and dynamic court are open to the community, emphasizing public engagement. After the functional transformation, the parent-child playground will become a shared park for families, the leisure field will serve as a park for the elderly, the dynamic field will cater to young and middle-aged people, and the all-age fitness area will support diverse fitness activities.

“A City Surrounded by Natural Landscape” – Cultural Communication Interpretation. The Asian Games Hangzhou is not only an international sports event but also a vital platform for showcasing Chinese culture to the world. Hangzhou’s historic urban pattern of “a city surrounded by natural landscape” has inspired the architectural design. Drawing from the “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains” and the “Map of the Imperial City of the Southern Song Dynasty,” the design merges continuous landscapes with city walls, creating a novel spatial experience. This abstract interpretation of “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains” influences the facades of the main buildings on the north and south sides, stretching nearly 600 meters. The Fuchun River, emblematic of the Jiangnan scenery around Hangzhou, fosters public engagement and rich associations.

“Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains” itself is emblematic of Chinese traditional culture, with its two parts stored separately on opposite sides of the strait. In the facade design, these parts are unified, symbolizing a good wish. After numerous experiments, turquoise pottery clay louver blades were selected as the main material for this section of the facade. The glazed facade, with its celadon color, evokes a jade-like warmth and smoothness. Using digital design techniques, a complex landscape map is translated into four unit modules.

The “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains” is abstractly interpreted and fully presented through graceful angle rotations and subtle variations in chromatic aberration and shade, creating a facade effect rich in the cultural characteristics of regions south of the Yangtze River. The design of the city wall at the base is inspired by metal bricks, using 300x1200mm module units staggered vertically to mimic traditional masonry. Hollowed-out, semi-hollowed-out, and solid unit modules create a unified yet varied facade, producing dynamic light and shadow effects that convey the intention of a rhythmical city wall.

“People Strolling in a Painting” – Sports Theme Interpretation. As the heart of the Asian Games Athlete Village, the international zone must closely align with the sports theme and encourage the integration of urban open spaces with multi-functional service areas within a Chinese cultural context. Using sports as a guiding principle, the design maximizes open space and emphasizes public engagement. Consequently, a 2.0 km three-dimensional runway is designed to weave continuously between the ground, buildings, and rooftops. This is complemented by the creation of sports and leisure parks, combining physical experiences with spatial elements to offer a rich sightseeing experience.

In terms of architectural design, there are three main points: First, the travel route serves as a key element to connect the spaces in sequence, with a nearly two-kilometer-long runway running through the entire site, closely integrated with the design of the city wall. Within the space, the city wall acts as the framework, establishing various relationships with the travel route—under the wall, within the wall, and on top of the wall.

Second, the continuous creation and transformation of multiple scenes generate the effect of “view changing as people walk.” The scenes are designed based on function and location, adapting to local conditions and connecting sequentially with the travel route. For instance, along the route, there are various impressive spaces such as magical tunnels passing through buildings, spiraling circular ramps, roof garden stations for rest stops, alleys between city walls, large stadium screens wrapped around substations, and spectator stands embedded within buildings.

The third point is the abstract interpretation of the picture scroll and its connection to cities and people. This symbolic picture introduces the dimension of time into the design, reflecting traditional Chinese sightseeing philosophy. Along the routes, people enjoy the landscape from afar and gradually walk into it. Visitors enter the scene and stroll from outside to inside, experiencing the city as if they were walking through a painting. The integrated design principle of the Asian Games Athlete Village fosters an open attitude toward the public, aiming to reflect cultural aspirations and confidence while shaping the international urban environment.