Stream­lined

The Xi’an Inter­na­tional Foot­ball Centre opened in September 2025. The new 60,000-seat stadium in the Feng­dong New City District combines high-tech engi­nee­ring with a sculp­tural design language and responds to the climate, urban envi­ron­ment, and spec­tator needs.

Die archi­tek­to­ni­sche Gestalt des Stadions ist das Ergebnis einer konse­quenten klima­ti­schen und funk­tio­nalen Opti­mie­rung. Die flie­ßende, wind­schnit­tige Geome­trie reagiert auf die kalten Nord­winde im Winter und die heißen Sommer in der Metro­pole Xi’an (13 Millionen Einwohner). Insbe­son­dere die Dach­form fungiert als schüt­zende Hülle: Sie lenkt Wind­strö­mungen ab, spendet groß­flä­chig Schatten – und erzeugt eine starke visu­elle Iden­tität.

Charak­te­ris­tisch ist der sattel­ar­tige Zuschau­er­körper, der im Bereich der Mittel­linie deut­lich ansteigt. Diese Geome­trie maxi­miert die Anzahl der Sitz­plätze mit opti­malen Sicht­be­zie­hungen zum Spiel­feld und verdichtet die Atmo­sphäre im Zentrum des Stadions.

The design is by Zaha Hadid Archi­tects.

We published the design five years ago.

A key archi­tec­tural and struc­tural element is the light­weight cable net roof struc­ture, which allows for large spans with minimal use of mate­rials. The reduced dead load not only lowers resource consump­tion and the carbon foot­print, but also allows for far-reaching roof over­hangs that effec­tively protect all surroun­ding areas from sun and rain.

A trans­lu­cent membrane spans the spec­tator area, allo­wing diffused daylight to enter the stadium inte­rior. This solu­tion protects spec­ta­tors from the weather while promo­ting natural grass growth and redu­cing the need for arti­fi­cial lighting.

A spacious prome­nade encir­cling the stadium provides access and amen­i­ties in the upper stadium area. There is plenty of space here for restau­rants, leisure acti­vi­ties, and relaxation—both on game days and in ever­yday life. This makes the stadium an urban hybrid (accor­ding to the plan­ners) that combines sporting, social, and commer­cial uses.

Digital simu­la­tions were used to opti­mize the geometry of the stands so that all 60,000 seats offer maximum proxi­mity, clear sight­lines, and acou­stic inten­sity. The result is a compact, emotio­nally charged stadium atmo­sphere that engages players and spec­ta­tors alike.

In a city that has thrived on exch­ange for centu­ries as the eastern terminus of the historic Silk Road, the Xi’an Inter­na­tional Foot­ball Centre sets a contem­po­rary archi­tec­tural bench­mark. Not only for the possi­bi­li­ties of engi­nee­ring, but also for open­ness.