Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena
 | |
| Location |
Shanghai  PR China |
|---|---|
| Owner | Tennis in China |
| Capacity | 13,779[1] |
| Construction | |
| Built | 2003 |
| Opened | October 5, 2005 |
| Construction cost |
RMB ¥ 2.4 billion USD $ 200 million ($242 million in 2016 dollars[2]) |
| Tenants | |
|
Shanghai Masters (tennis) (2009-present) Tennis Masters Cup (tennis) (2005-2008) FINA World (Swimming) (April 2006) | |
The Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena,[3] also known as Qizhong stadium,[4] (pronounced "chee-jong") is a tennis arena in Shanghai, People's Republic of China.[3][4] The complex is located on an 80-hectare area, in the southwest of Shanghai, the Minhang District.
It has a steel roof with eight sliding petal-shaped pieces (moved in 8 minutes) which resembles a blooming magnolia, Shanghai's city flower.[5] The roof enables the stadium to host both indoor and outdoor tennis events. The seating capacity is 13,779 people.[5] The stadium was specially created to host the ATP World Tour Finals between 2005 - 2008,[5] and was the largest tennis venue in Asia, until the construction of the Olympic Green Tennis Centre in Beijing.
From 2009, it will host the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, a new ATP Masters Series tournament. It also served as one of the venues used for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic during their tour of China in 2007.
Stadium features
The Tennis Centre covers a total area of 338,836 square meters, of which 85,000 square meters are made up of structures.[5] The volume rate is 0.187, the building density 15.1%, green/open space 46.1%, with parking capacity of 993 parking spaces.The facility has 25 courts, including three main courts, namely center court, grand stand court 2, and court 3.
- The center court stadium spans 30,649 square meters.[5] It has four floors, for a total height of 40 m (131-ft) above ground level. The center court is covered by a steel roof with eight petal-shaped pieces (each petal weighs two tons) which resemble a magnolia, Shanghai's city flower. The opening of the roof represents the blooming of a magnolia flower.
- The roof takes eight minutes to completely open or close.[5]
- The stadium can be adapted for other international events such as basketball (as in 2007), volleyball, ping pong, or gymnastics.[5]
During the ATP World Tour Finals event, there was a retail zone, with the public eating/drinking areas outside the stadium.[5]
History
The stadium is located in Ma Qiao Town[5] in southwest Shanghai, the Minhang District. The Shanghai Municipal Commission of Construction and Administration requested international bids in 2003, for building the stadium.[5]
The winning bid was submitted by Japanese architect Mitsuru Senda and his company Environment Design Institute (EDI), an architectural and landscape firm specializing in children's environments including schools, museums, hospitals, sports facilities, parks, play structures, daycare centers, and housing.[5]
EDI had designed sports stadiums in Japan, including the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center and the Tokoname Municipal Gymnasium. Mr. Senda, a former President and now honorary member of the Architectural Institute of Japan, established EDI in 1968 with a design philosophy to adapt comprehensive planning along with the layout of the environment.[5]
Each leaf, of the roof, was constructed on the ground beforehand. The method of testing each leaf on the ground was similar to that used by China Aerospace, where each roof piece must pass a test, before it can be elevated to its position for final installation.[5]
Other companies involved in the center's construction include: [5]
- China Construction Third Bureau - construction contractor
- Jiangnan Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. - steel infrastructure
- Shanghai Mechanical Construction Co., Ltd. - roof construction
There will be a total of 40 tennis courts when Phase 2 is completed (Centre Court Stadium, 3 small indoor stadiums, 14 indoor courts and 22 outdoor courts).[5]
See also
References
- ↑ "NBA.com - NBA China Games Return in October". nba.com.
- ↑ "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- 1 2 Also known as "Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center", see "Welcome to Minhang", 2008, webpage: S-cn
- 1 2 "Tennis Masters Cup", ATP Tour, Inc., 2005, webpage: masters-cup.com-stad.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Tennis Masters Cup - Qi Zhong Stadium Design Information", ATP Tour, Inc., 2005, webpage: masters-cup.com-stadium_overview.
External links
| Preceded by Westside Tennis Club Houston |
ATP Year-end Championships Venue 2005-2008 |
Succeeded by The O2 arena London |
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Coordinates: 31°02′32″N 121°21′20″E / 31.042088°N 121.355522°E