Road to Chengdu 2021 FISU Games: Stunning architecture dazzles in Chengdu

n under a month’s time from the writing of this article, athletes and officials will arrive in Chengdu for the start of the Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Games.

The focus of the event is obviously sport, but while people are in Chengdu they’ll be dazzled by the incredible architecture that is omnipresent in this Sichuan Province capital city of 20 million. The combination of unique shapes, materials, and colours make this a city that will draw the attention of visitors and viewers.

A prominent set of facilities to be used for the Chengdu 2021 FISU Games is the Dong’an Lake Sports Park. Located in Chengdu’s Longquan District and designed by gmp Architects (von Gerken, Marg, and Partners), this futuristic set of three cuboidal blocks will host swimming and artistic gymnastics. Outdoor green spaces connect the three venues which are also tied together by spiraling corridors that link them to the Dong’an Lake Sports Park Stadium, host to the opening ceremony on 28 July. The futuristic aluminum enveloping the venues helps set them as ‘artifacts in nature,’ as described the by the designer, while the nearby Torch Tower brings another standout element to the area.

The Fenghuangshan Sports Park features two beautiful new venues in Chengdu – the gymnasium and football stadium. The former is an 18,000 seat venue built to National Basketball Association standards which will serve as a competition venue for basketball at the Chengdu 2021 FISU Games.

Designed by HKS, its inspiration is from a tea infusion set called Gaiwan that allows people to see the stadium as a bowl, the plaza surrounding it as the saucer, and the gymnasium as the lid that goes on top. This ties to the strong tea house culture that exists in Chengdu. The exterior of the venues is based on Shu Jin, or Sichuan Brocade, which originated in Chengdu, and the surface gives the impression of silk threads that attract and reflect light uniquely throughout the day.

It’s not just the sport venues that marvel visitors to Chengdu. If people land in the city’s new airport they will see another great example of the its unique architecture. Chengdu Tianfu International Airport opened midway through 2021 and will serve as the primary international airport for the city, with Shuangliu International Airport shifting focus to domestic flights. The design (by the China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute, China Airport Construction Group Corporation, and French firm ADP Ingénierie) features building space equal to 46 football fields. The mythical sunbird, representing the city of Chengdu, is referenced in the design with the two Chengdu Museum of Natural History Photos by ZHANG Yanterminals built to be distinct while sharing the same architecture.

Once visitors have landed and are in the city, and when time permits away from all the great sporting events of the Chengdu 2021 FISU Games, they will want to go and check out the Chengdu Museum of Natural History. The designer, Pelli Clarke & Partners, wanted to bring into the building’s features some of the region’s landscape. The form of the building evokes the process of rock breaking, emblematic of the tectonic plates coming together and the volcanic activity that formed the nearby mountains. The sky bridges and passageways inside the museum mirror the traditional cliff trails found in the Chengdu region.

Modern architecture has been the focus of this article, but traditional design also plays a significant role in the feel people get living in or visiting Chengdu. The Wuhou Shrine Museum, Tazishan Park, and the Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum are all great examples of the traditional architecture that dots the Chengdu landscape.

Chengdu is a feast for the eyes. Modern and traditional architecture, of which just a few examples are listed here, lend greatly to what will be an incredible experience for all those coming to, or watching from around the world, the Chengdu 2021 FISU Games.

The following sources provided additional information for this article.

Dong’an Lake Sports Center is an ensemble of louvred metal “artefacts in nature” (stirworld.com);
dongan lake sports park by atelier sq (designboom.com);
Chengdu Phoenix Hill Sports Park | HKS Architects (hksinc.com);
New stadium: Sports complex like bowl for tea infusion – StadiumDB.com;
china’s chengdu tianfu international airport officially opens (designboom.com);
Chengdu Museum of Natural History | Pelli Clarke & Partners (pcparch.com)

Written by Doug McLean