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A vision emerged to create a monument that would honor Hangzhou's "Silk Capital" and Shaoxing's "International Textile City" legacies. The design team set out on a quest to design a climbing center that resembled a cocoon, which is also a symbol of transformation and rebirth. The semi-open design reduces the massive volume of sports architecture while blurring the boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces, creating a shared, open space for the community. The venue is open and transparent from east to west, offering an unobstructed view of the Yangshan Quarry Heritage Park when looking eastward. On the urban scale, the axis connects the climbing center and Yangshan Quarry Heritage Park, which leads directly to the city center.
The climbing center is situated next to a 1500-year-old abandoned quarry in the Yangshan Quarry Heritage Park in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province. The site is bordered by a high school to the south and urban roads with residential areas to the east, making it a massive gap in the new urban area. In the 1960s, this area was once filled with soil and planted with mulberry trees, serving as a silkworm farming base for local villagers. However, after the 1990s, the silkworm industry moved away, leaving the site in disrepair, overgrown with weeds, scattered with houses, and rarely visited. The challenge for the design team is to meet the demands of the Asian Game while honoring the rich history and complexity of the site and promoting local development and urban environment.
The intricate web of perforated UHPC panels enveloped the structure, harmoniously blending the building into the environment while reducing its energy consumption. The curtain wall system is composed of 1,600 perforated ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) panels, artfully shaping the image of a cocoon and the texture of silk. With a 55% perforation rate, the ingenious design shielded athletes from glare and light pollution while masterfully enhancing natural lighting, shading, ventilation, and energy efficiency. The application of the BIM system effectively integrates parametric design, construction, transportation, and maintenance. The stage was further set aglow with the intelligent lighting systems, casting iconic nighttime lighting effects that showcased the center's grandeur.
In a city where history and innovation intertwine, the climbing center arose as a symbol of metamorphosis for the city of Shaoxing. As a distinguished venue for the Asian Games, it not only reshaped the city's urban landscape but also infused new energy into the neighboring Yangshan Quarry Heritage Park. The cocoon-inspired architecture connects with the city's rich history, and the transparent curtain wall system effectively conserves energy. The changing light and shadow created by the architectural skin symbolize the splendid changes of a cocoon turning into a butterfly. Ingenious design elements, such as detachable seating and designated equipment interfaces, enhance post-event adaptability in terms of function and layout alterations. Beyond the building's flexibility and functionality, the formation of clubs and training bases utilizing market-driven approaches further promotes sustainability across industry, sports, and everyday living. Furthermore, the facility also opens a future opportunity for developing the climbing sports industry in Shaoxing.
Yangshan Sport Climbing Centre is the world's first fully functional, permanent climbing competition venue, and marries cutting-edge technologies such as steel structures, full prefabrication, green electricity, and smart sports. The image of a cocoon has been crafted and serves as a bridge between the past and the present. The center will live on as a civic sports hub, promoting urban development and infusing the city with vitality through the culture of climbing sports.
Huahui Engineering Design Group CO., LTD. (Huahui Group) is a comprehensive consulting enterprise serviced in the whole process of construction, with urban development as its field, and engineering consulting as its core. The business involves consulting, construction, engineering, environmental survey, real estate, and other urban construction fields, and enduring been committed to the sustainability and innovation in China.
