The 16th Asian Games will be held in Guangzhou in May 2010, which is part of the worldwide Olympic movement and governed by the Olympic Council of Asia. In a recent press conference in Guangzhou, preview of 12 new venues under construction for the Games were displayed. Each venue, showcasing the local Lingnan culture, is being designed by the Guangdong Architectural Design and Research Institute (GDADRI).

      The 12 new venues being designed and built for the Games have taken into consideration not only the requirements of Asian Games competition, the projects also support the future urban development of Guangzhou with emphasis on sustainability and various environmental impact on the surrounding areas.

A stadium in the Asian Games Town in Panyu district for gymnastics, billiards and squash events will become a mega business plaza and a museum for Asian Games.

      Construction of all 12 venues will be completed in March 2010, including the Asian Games Town Gymnasium, the Guangzhou Velodrome, the Guangdong Olympic Aquatics Centre and the Guangzhou Tennis Centre.

      At present, construction of the Asian Games Town Gymnasium is in full swing. Construction of the Guangdong Olympic Aquatics Centre at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Centre is approaching its final stage and the Nansha Gymnasium will be topped out soon.

      The Asian Games Town Gymnasium comprises venues for gymnastics, cue sports and squash and will be home to the Guangzhou Asian Games History Museum. This new gymnasium will be transformed into a community centre offering sports, commercial and public services to local residents after the Asian Games.

      Apart from the flowing curves of the Lingnan architectural style, the Asian Games Town Gymnasium incorporates many green features, such as the use of energy saving and environmentally friendly building materials and structural elements.

      The Guangzhou Velodrome will host cycling and roller sports. Inspired by the typical Lingnan streets with Qilou buildings, the designers have added verandas on the east and west sides of the Velodrome as rain shelters.

      The Guangdong Olympic Aquatics Centre has a capacity of 4,584 seats. It will be the main venue for the swimming and diving competitions as well as the swimming competition of the Modern Pentathlon. Externally, the complex will be colored in white and blue to represent the Baiyun (white cloud) Mountain and the Pearl River of Guangzhou.

      The cycling stadium located in the university town of Panyu district, for example, is designed with an overshadow arcade from east to west and window ventilators from north to south, making it look like the ancient qilou buildings in downtown Guangzhou.

      All the new venues will feature the architectural style of Lingnan (southern China) to better promote local culture and architectural style.

 

Asian Games Town Gymnasium