With China’s growing interest in football, national associations are raising the bar for sports facilities in the country. Old rudimentary barracks are nothing more than a memory of the past, as modern associations demand sports facilities compliant with international standards.
Since the acquisition of Dalian’s team by Wanda Group –the internationally recognized real estate developer–, the construction of a new Training Center for the local team has been carefully planned. The facilities have been designed to serve all categories, from junior teams to first division and even reserves. On the one hand, independence for each team is provided while, on the other, a space for coexistence, exchange and mutual learning is also required.
For these reasons, independent buildings for each team have been designed within the facilities, while a platform linking all buildings on their lower levels promotes social exchanges between groups. This platform has two main functions. First, it contains shared facilities such as gyms, offices, cafes, restaurants and leisure areas. And second, it serves as an elevated platform to watch football matches played on a large number of available fields.
The platform finds its volumetric counterpart in the large canopy that covers all the buildings to form a unique, serene and harmonious image as a backdrop for the fields.
The lodging facilities are located close to the main access to the north. While all the space to the south is dedicated to fields. Also, on the western side there is a stadium for 2,000 spectators from both inside and outside the sports city. An area with retail facilities is located to the southeast of the plot where there is a large flow of pedestrians. The complex features a diagonal slope that runs through the whole lot and generates a topographic variation of the training tracks. This variation brings diversity to the Training Center by featuring a geometric order that defines the harmonic image of the Dalian Wanda Training Center.
