Selgascano, a Spanish architectural firm renowned for its innovative and modern designs, unveils the captivating design for Sijing Town Sports Center. The architectural innovation, surrounded by skylines and daring forms, José Selgas and Lucía Cano reimagined a playful design for Sijing Town Sports Center, integrating light, color, and natural elements and embracing community, environment, and nature to create a dynamic sports complex.
Functional Fluid Forms
Located in the high-density urban fabric of Sijing, a suburban town of Shanghai, China, the design won the second prize in the competition, illustrating a powerful architectural language rooted in context and openness that challenges the conventional notion of a large-scale sports complex. The human-centric approach guides the design decisions for undulating fluid form, enhancing the sports complex with the use of ETFE membranes on the roof that support flexibility, transparency, and functionality.
Inspired by Water Towns and Cultural Context
Drawing learnings from historic Chinese water towns, bridges, and courtyards, the sensitive design reinterprets a modern public space that fosters movement and a sense of discovery embedded in the local context. The design philosophy centers on creating a horizontal composition of pavilions, differing from the vertical dominant language of the city and linking with the nearby green spaces, providing accessibility and active mobility. Inspired by the regional context, the architects envisioned a project that is both open and dynamic.
The Lightness and Magic of ETFE Membranes
The two organic volumes developed through fluid geometry and innovative materials evoke a strong presence in the horizontal composition, prioritizing scale and proportion for sensory engagement. Enveloped by a translucent ETFE membrane, a lightweight and flexible material, the sculptural volumes will allow natural light into the interiors during the day and glow at night to transform into a soft, illuminating fluid form, marking a community hub.
The use of recycled tartan for sports surfaces and the incorporation of wood elements further underscore a commitment to sustainability and a palette that is both modern and environmentally conscious.
A Building That Glows with the Community
The building’s expressive material palette uses glass and translucent surfaces, changes in range of colors depending on the time of day, and connects inside and outside, which is both functional and innovative. A key element was the undulating roof, crafted by a translucent ETFE membrane that creates visual vibrancy, and its shape evokes movement, a subtle nod to the athletic activities that the space was designed to host.
Sculpting Sports Experience
Ensuring the structural stability, steel, and reinforced concrete allow vast and flexible spaces and curved steel beams that form the roof’s undulating shape, enabling spans needed for the primary event spaces. Modular design with movable partitions and elements supports a layout that can be reconfigured as needed, proposing sports-related functions, social interaction, and relaxation. The Sijing Town Sports Center incorporates zones for badminton, swimming pool areas, and multi-sport courts integrated with smart technology and sustainable measures.
Beyond the sports activities, the design incorporates jogging paths and bike trails into the complex and green spaces for the Sijing community. This approach ensures that complexes don’t stand as an individual entity but as a dynamic part of the larger network that fosters breathtaking landscaped spaces to enhance human experience. The Sijing Town Sports Center, a contemporary building, enhances human experience through dynamic design, use of natural materials, and thoughtful spatial arrangements, reinforcing light, openness, and flexibility.
Sijing Town Sports Center Project details
Architect: Selgascano
Location: Songjiang District, Shanghai, China
Design team: Leandra Matas, María Andrés, Fabiana Perrogón, Juan Múzquiz, Iñigo Riveira, Paolo Tringali, Inés Olavarrieta
Area: 14,500 square meters (156,000 square feet)
Visualizations: Playtime
Image credit: © Selgascano
