Architects don’t really fall behind when it comes to surprising us and coming up with amazing structures that are simply put; beautiful. Today’s post is about another architectural feat that has been pulled off and no it’s not located in Dubai or China unlike the many other that we have covered, rather, it is located in Singapore. The structure is known as Singapore Sports Hub and is a gigantic sports complex.
The Sports Hub is home to the city’s new National Stadium that has a seating capacity of 55,000 and also enjoys the title of World’s largest dome structure. The National Stadium clocks in with a diameter of 1,023 ft and won the title from the former largest dome structure (The Texas Cowboys Stadium) by 121 ft. The Singapore Sports Hub has an area of about 35 hectare and has been designed by a local firm known as DP Architects. The centerpiece of Singapore Sports Hub, as you might have guessed already, is the National Stadium.
It comes equipped with a roof that is retractable and an interior that is flexible; meaning the stadium can host a number of different sports such as athletics, soccer, cricket or rugby as required. The shifting process requires about 48 hours. There are, no doubt, other sporting venues located within the Sports Hub as well and those include an aquatic center that has a seating capacity of 6,000, a multi-purpose indoor arena with a seating capacity of 3,000 and last but not least, there is a retail area that covers 441,320 Sq.ft. and houses rock climbing facilities and a water park as well.
If you thought that’s all, think again. The Singapore Sports Hub also comes with a library, visitor’s center and a museum. There is an area of 193,000 sq.ft designated as office space, canoeing, kayaking and related activities can be carried out at the water center and some smaller areas include skate park, jogging and cycling tracks and even a beach volleyball court.
The DP Architects have made most use of the prevailing winds and greenery to keep the sports fan cool by bringing down the temperature of the structure. Phoenix Solar, a local renewable energy firm, was also incorporated into the project and helped by installing solar arrays that measure 75,000 sq. ft and these provide the required energy for the cooling systems that have been installed at the stadium. This overall results in a reduction of 60% of the total energy consumption as compared to a traditional stadium.
