The city sports center, whose construction began on September 6, 2010, is built in beautiful surroundings. It is located in the central part of Yudong, near Lake Wenyu. It was designed by the Australian NATIONAL Andrew and Siddi (Beijing) International Design Consultant Co., Ltd. and China Architecture Construction Eighth Engineering Bureau. The total investment in the project is more than 1.2 billion yuan, the actual land area is 646 mu, and the total building area is 101,700 square meters. It consists of four main buildings: a stadium, a gymnasium, a swimming pool and a comprehensive training hall. It is mainly used for regional and national singles competitions. The completion of the sports center will effectively alleviate the current shortage of sports facilities and lack of training facilities in Datong.
It is clear that the design of the entire sports center is inspired by the stunning natural features of the Loess Plateau. Each of the main elements is full of strength and grandeur, showing the Taihang Mountains in the east, Luliang Mountain in the west, and the Hengshan and Wutai Mountains in the north. The style reflects the history of Datong as the military base of several dynasties as well as the important economic role of modern Datong in the mining and financial industries.
The rich layering of the stadium recalls the pattern and rhythm of the Yungan Grottoes, reflecting the harmonious characteristics of multiculturalism and multinational integration in the history of northern China. The total seating capacity of the stadium is approximately 30,000 people. It is divided into four floors. The basement floor is the stadium, athletes’ facilities, indoor training ground and shooting range, as well as other operational, storage, inventory and other functional areas of the rear area. The first floor is the platform floor. The main spectator entrance level and the lower level of the observation deck; the second level is the official school/body school level, including the lodge and technical room, which can be used as a physical school classroom. The third level is the upper deck, which includes a semi-open auditorium and spectator spaces. The architectural form of the building combines the physical strength and gracefulness of the athlete’s movements. The first floor is 2 floors above the ground and can accommodate about 8,000 seats.
The design concept of the pool mainly emphasizes the powerful movements of the swimmers in the water, the natural swimming posture as well as the strength and clear outline of the athlete’s muscles. The pool has 3 floors and a basement that can accommodate 1,500 fixed seats and 1,000 temporary seats.