The new stadium designed by Zaha Hadid Architects

Zaha Hadid Architects has unveiled the project for the Xi'an International Football Center, in the brand new Fengdong district. A new 60,000-seat stadium, almost hidden within an architecture that reflects the love for curves that has characterized the career of the Iraqi architect and designer. The stadium will be the scene of cultural events, concerts but above all it will host the matches of the Asian Cup 2023. With a population of 9 million inhabitants and two football teams, Xi'an is among the 12 cities that will host the event organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The design of the new stadium bears the illustrious signature of Patrik Schumacher, director of the Zaha Hadid Architects Studio and former author of works such as the Vitra Fire Station and the BMW Central Building in Germany and the MAXXI in Rome. The new building strongly recalls the traditional characters of Chinese architecture thanks to its sinuous shapes. The composition of the facade is a clear architectural reference to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the heart of the outer court of the Forbidden City in Beijing. As in the ancient imperial palace in Beijing, the garden terraces of the new stadium horizontally mark the 5 levels of the building, the 12 slender columns in turn divide the composition vertically, in the center of the facade the memory of the 3 access stairs to the ancient palace and finally the roof that evokes traditional Chinese architecture in the characters.

The external structure is dynamic and technologically very advanced. The meandering facades give the opportunity to protect the stadium "digitally" - and remotely - from the winds of the Qinling mountain range, while maximizing audience capacity. An opaque membrane further protects spectators from weather and sunlight, but the open roof lets in enough sunlight to ensure the field's live grass grows.