German architects GMP Architekten designed three stadiums for the World Aquatics Championships currently taking place in Shanghai.

The Shanghai Oriental Sports Centre complex includes a multi-purpose stadium, a dedicated indoor aquatics centre, an outdoor swimming venue and a media centre.

Rows of aluminium sails cover the exteriors of the stadiums, which are raised up on artificial islands and surrounded by newly created lakes.

The championships are run by international swimming federation FINA and finish at the end of July.

After the event, the main stadium will be used for boxing, basketball, badminton, ice-hockey and concerts.

Celebrated sports venue architects GMP also designed three football stadiums for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa last year - see the projects »here.

More stories about sports architecture and design on Dezeen »

Photography is by Marcus Bredt.

The following information is from GMP Architekten:

Opening of the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center FINA World Swimming Championships, 16th – 31st July

The sports complex was designed and built by architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp), who won the competitive bidding in 2008, and constructed it in under two and a half years. It consists of a hall stadium for several sports and cultural events, a natatorium (swimming hall), an outdoor swimming pool and a media centre. In keeping with a sustainable urban development policy, the SOSC was built on former industrial brownfield land along the Huangpu River. The individual venues are designed so that after the Swimming Championships, they can be used for a variety of other purposes.

Water is the overarching theme of both the park and the architecture of the stadiums and the media centre. It is the connecting element between the buildings, which stand on raised platforms in specially constructed lakes. Thus the round stadiums have a curved lakeside shore round them, while the rectangular Natatorium has a straight lakeside shore. Design affinities and a shared formal idiom and use of materials give the three stadiums structural unity. The steel structures of broad arches with large-format triangular elements made of coated aluminium sheet form double-sided curved surfaces along the frame of the sub-structures, thus evoking sails in the wind.

Hall Stadium

During the FINA World Swimming Championships, pool events and synchronized swimming championships will take place in the Hall Stadium, which later can be used for boxing matches, basketball, badminton or ice-hockey matches and concerts. The hall has a crowd-capacity of 14,000, which can be increased to 18,000 by the use of mobile seating.

The main structure of the closed building with a round ground plan consists of reinforced concrete, while the roof is a steel structure with a 170 m span with aluminium cladding. The parallel steel girders create 35 m-high arcades and include the glass façades of the encircling open foyer.

Natatorium

The Natatorium contains four pools arrayed in a row: two standard-sized, one for diving and a leisure pool. It has over 3,500 fixed seats, which will be expanded to 5,000 for the world championships, to meet FINA requirements. The swimming hall is a closed building with a rectangular ground plan, a main structure of reinforced concrete and a roof structure of sectional steel girders. The roof structure with triangular glass surfaces is around 210 m long, 120 m wide and 22 m high. Direct, intrusive sunlight is forestalled by means of narrow toplights along the beams, without preventing natural daylighting.

Outdoor pool

This swimming complex is located in the open on an artificial island and offers 2,000 fixed stadium seats. For the World Swimming Championships and other outstanding events, capacity will be increased to 5,000 seats. The competition-size diving pool and diving towers are complemented by a competition pool. As in the other stadiums, the roof structure with its external diameter of c. 130 m reflects the round ground-plan of the shell of the building. The inner diameter is around 90m. The roof trusses are carried by the building structure. A lightweight membrane between the modules provides protection against sun and rain.

Media centre

The 80 m high high-rise building is on the northern side of the sports complex. Its 15 floors include a fitness centre, conference rooms and medical care centre, plus VIP and office areas. Because of the even 8.4m grid, the building can be used flexibly. With its external shell of white, perforated aluminium panels, the building inter- prets the undulating shape of the adjacent lake.

Competition 2008 – 1st prize Design Meinhard von Gerkan and Nikolaus Goetze with Magdalene Weiss
Project leader - Chen Ying
Team - Jan Blasko, Lü Cha, Lü Miao, Jörn Ortmann, Sun Gaoyang, Yan Lüji, Jin Zhan, Fang Hua, Martin Friedrich, Fu Chen, Ilse Gull, Kong Rui, Lin Yi, Katrin Löser, Ren Yunping, Alexander Schober, Nina Svensson, Tian Jinghai, Zhang Yan, Zhou Yunkai, Zhu Honghao
Structural engineers - Schlaich Bergermann and Partners
International installations - ARUP
Landscaping - WES & Partner
Chinese partner firm - SIADR, Tongji Design Institute
Capacity, Hall stadium - 18,000 seats
Natatorium - 5,000 seats
Outdoor swimming pool - 5,000 seats
Client - Shanghai Administration of Sports
Construction period - 2009–2011

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Faceted glass triangles create glowing crowns around a trio of stadiums for the World University Games currently taking place in Shenzhen.

The three Universiade stadiums were designed by German studio GMP Architekten and surround an artificial lake.

The largest of the three buildings is the main events arena, which seats up to 60,000 spectators in three tiered stands.

The second stadium hosts indoor activities including ice skating and the third houses a swimming pool for aquatic events.

The closing ceremony for the games takes place on 23 August.

GMP Architekten have designed a number of stadiums for international competitions, including the recently published World Aquatics Championships complex in Shanghai - see all our stories about stadiums by GMP Architekten here.

Photography is by Christian Gahl.

Here are some more details from GMP:

2011 Universiade in Shenzhen

Inauguration of the Sports Center and Bao’an Stadium

To mark the occasion of the Universiade, which will take place from 12th to 23rd August 2011, the Universiade sports center and Bao’an stadium will be opened tomorrow in Shenzhen, southern China. The international com- petitions to come up with a design for the buildings were won in 2006 and 2007 by the designs of architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp). The Universiade sports center consists of a stadium, a multifunctional hall and a swimming pool. The stadium in the Bao’an district is designed as an athletics stadium. However, during the 2011 Universiade, it is being used for football matches.

Universiades are World Games for students and are held every other year in winter and summer, hosted by the International University Sports Federation, the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU). Going by the number of athletes participating, the summer Universiade is the second largest multi-sport event in the world after the Summer Olympics. It was announced in January 2007 that the 26th summer Universiade 2011 was to take place in Shenzhen.

Universiade 2011 Sports Center

The design for the Universiade Sports Center in the city of Shenzhen is inspired by the surrounding undulating landscape and generates a formal dialog that references Chinese horticulture and philosophy toward the land. The roof structure projects up to 65 m, and is designed as a steel prismatic shell on a basis of triangular fac- ets. The crystalline shape of the three stadia is additionally emphasized by the illumination of the translucent facades at night. An artificial lake connects the stadium with the circular multifunctional hall in the north and the rectangular swimming hall west thereof. The central sports plaza is accessed via a raised promenade from the individual stadia.

The main stadium is planned to be multifunctional, meeting the requirements of international sports occasions and events. Total capacity is 60,000, seated in three stands. The total diameter of the roof is 310 m lengthways and 290 m across.

The indoor sports complex is designed as a circular multifunctional arena for indoor sports competitions as well as for ice-skating and other events. The overall capacity is approx. 18,000 spectators. The swimming complex forms the third module of the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center. The overall capacity is approx. 3,000 spectators, the seats are arranged on two stands.

Click above for larger image

Competition: 2006 – 1st prize
Design: Meinhard von Gerkan and Stephan Schütz with Nicolas Pomränke
Project: leader Ralf Sieber
Staff Xu: Ji, Alexander Niederhaus, Huang Cheng, Niklas Veelken, Martin Gänsicke, Stephanie Brendel, Marlene Törper, Andrea Moritz, Zheng Xin, Kralyu Chobanov, Chen Zhicong, Thomas Krämer, Lin Wei, Martin Schulte- Frohlinden, Plamen Stamatov, Christian Dorndorf, Lian Kian, Zhou Bin, Tobias Keyl, Li Ling, Helge Lezius, Meng Xin, Kuno von Haefen
Structural concept and design roof: schlaich bergermann und partner – Sven Plieninger with Wei Chen
Technical building equipment: IG Tech
Lighting design: Conceptlicht
Acoustics Acoustic Design: Ahnert
Facade planning: Shen and Partner
Chinese partner practices: SADI (stadium), CNADRI (multifunctional hall), CCDI (swimming hall), BLY (landscape design)
Client: Bureau of Public Works of Shenzhen Municipality
Seats, stadium: 60,000
Seats, multifunctional hall: 18,000
Seats, swimming hall: 3,000
Construction period: 2007–2011

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Reed-like steel columns surround another stadium designed by German studio GMP Architekten for the World University Games in Shenzhen.

The green stems support the circular roof of the Bao'an Stadium, which is hosting football matches during the Universiade games.

The suspended membrane roof is stretched across arched supports to create a bubbled surface.

The stadium seats up to 40,000 spectators and will be used for athletics once the games are over.

The closing ceremony for the games takes place on the 23 August.

GMP Architekten also designed a trio of faceted glass stadiums for these games, as illustrated in our earlier story - see all our stories about stadiums by GMP Architekten here.

Photography is by Christian Gahl.

Here are some more details from GMP:

2011 Universiade in Shenzhen

Inauguration of the Sports Center and Bao’an Stadium

To mark the occasion of the Universiade, which will take place from 12th to 23rd August 2011, the Universiade sports center and Bao’an stadium will be opened tomorrow in Shenzhen, southern China. The international com- petitions to come up with a design for the buildings were won in 2006 and 2007 by the designs of architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp). The Universiade sports center consists of a stadium, a multifunctional hall and a swimming pool. The stadium in the Bao’an district is designed as an athletics stadium. However, during the 2011 Universiade, it is being used for football matches.

Universiades are World Games for students and are held every other year in winter and summer, hosted by the International University Sports Federation, the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU). Going by the number of athletes participating, the summer Universiade is the second largest multi-sport event in the world after the Summer Olympics. It was announced in January 2007 that the 26th summer Universiade 2011 was to take place in Shenzhen.

Bao’an stadium

The extensive bamboo forests of southern China were the inspiration for the design, whose slim stanchions carry the weight of the stands and the wide-span roof structure. Visitors pass through the forest of steel supports into the first circulating area of the stadium, and thence go either up the steps to the upper tier or straight on to the lower tier. The image of a bamboo forest is created by the double row of steel supports, where every other in the inner row is connected with the concrete structure of the undulating upper tier, thus carrying the vertical loads of the specta- tor seating. The steel tubes, which are up to 32 m in length, range from 55 cm to 80 cm, varying in accordance with their differing static loads.

A membrane roof suspended from an outer frame was selected to cover the seating areas. With a diameter of 230 m and cantilevering of 54 m on each side of the stands, the roof is carried by 36 pairs of cables whose pre- tensioning is brought together via a circular double tension ring of strand-bundle cables above the pitch. The stadium is designed to hold a capacity of 40,000 spectators.

Competition: 2007 – 1st prize
Design: Meinhard von Gerkan and Stephan Schütz with David Schenke
Project leaders: David Schenke, Li Ran
Staff (design): Jennifer Heckenlaible, Daniela Franz, Zhang Xi, Yin Chao Jie, Zhou Bin, Anna Bulanda-Jansen, Cai Qing, Xu Ji
Staff (execution): Matthias Grünewald, Cai Yu, Wang Le, Wang Li, Zhang Xi, Lucas Gallardo, Zhang Xiao Guang, Sebastian Linack, Li Zheng, Pan Xin, Martin Schulte-Frohlinde
Structural engineering: schlaich bergermann und partner – Sven Plieninger with Wei Chen
Lighting Design: Schlotfeld Licht, Berlin

Chinese partner practice: SCUT South China University of Technology
Client: The Sports Bureau of Bao’an District
Seats: 40,050
Length of the stadium: 245.80 m
Width of the stadium: 245.80 m
Height of the stadium: 39.65 m
Construction period: 2009–2011

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Following their Eurovision Song Contest win last summer, Azerbaijan rushed to commission German firm GMP Architekten to design a new stadium that will be complete in time to host this year’s competition.

The sports stadium and concert hall for the capital city of Baku will seat 25,000 spectators and is being designed and constructed simultaneously in a period of just eight months.

The building’s exterior will be faceted to match the form of a crystal container. GMP Architekten are collaborating with contractors Alpine Bau Deutschland and Nüssli to deliver the project by March 2012.

You can see more stadiums designed by GMP Architekten here, including a trio of venues for Shenzhen that are remarkably similar.

The text below is a statement from the architects:

Sports Concert Complex, Baku, Azerbaijan

Design and implementation of Crystal Hall for the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku
In May 2012, the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku at Crystal Hall.

Alpine Bau Deutschland GmbH, the general contractor for the project, was contracted on August 2nd, 2011 to design and implement a multipurpose event-venue that is meant to accommodate 25,000 spectators.

This challenging task was undertaken by combining the efforts of gmp · Architekten von Gerkan, Marg und Partner, Alpine Bau Deutschland AG, and Nüssli International AG.

The Eurovision Song Contest takes place every year, which means that this striking crystal-shaped building on the peninsula near the city centre, right in the Caspian Sea and in the direct vicinity of one of the world’s highest flagpoles, had to be designed and constructed within a period of just eight months. The building is not a concert hall in the classical sense but a multi-functional indoor arena, which is intended to be a longer-term facility. Normally, event venues of comparable size, such as a football stadium, will require 4 to 5 years for design and construction.

Instead of the usual reinforced concrete construction, the building has been designed as a pure steel structure which consists of three independent parts, i.e. the membrane façade, the modular stadium itself and the interior roof. In order to be able to put up a building of the size of a football stadium in just a few months, design and construction proceed in parallel. An important tool in this complex process is the detailed visualisation of the entire work schedule: it covers and displays each step in chronological order in weekly sequences. A prerequisite for the success of this novel working method is the extensive experience in design, management and construction scheduling provided by the consortium, as well as very good communication between the design team and the construction companies.

The characteristic crystalline shape of the building and its illuminated façade is the response to Azerbaijan’s special request for the creation of a widely visible and visually effective landmark as a bridge between Asia and Europe that will be noticed in an international context. Different dynamic lighting scenarios are currently being programmed for the 9,500 LED lights to highlight the membrane façade and create moods appropriate for the different stages of the events.

Sports Concert Complex, Baku, Azerbaijan
Direct commission following the bidding process in 2011
In Cooperation: with Alpine Bau Deutschland AG, Nüssli International AG
Design: Volkwin Marg and Hubert Nienhoff with Markus Pfisterer, 2011
Project Management: Markus Pfisterer, Silke Flaßnöcker
Staff: Martin Hakiel, Carsten Borucki, Monika Kwiatkowski, Ignacio Zarrabeitia, Helge Lezius, Gerard Slee, Lars Laubenthal, Fariborz Rahimi, Justin Allen, Sebastian Lundelius, Dirk Müller

Client: State Commitee on Property Issues, Baku, Azerbaijan
Structural engineering: SSF Ingenieure München; schlaich bergermann and partners, Stuttgart
Services / Sanitary / Heating / Ventilation: Basler & Hofmann Ingenieure, Zurich
Lighting design: Lichtvision, Berlin
Seats: 25,000
Design and construction period: July 2011 – March 2012
Length of hall: approx. 206 m
Width of hall: approx. 168 m
Height of hall: approx. 25 m

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GMP Architekten has won a competition to design a 1.2 million-square-metre exhibition centre for Tianjin, China (+ slideshow).

With 400,000 square metres of exhibition space, the National Convention and Exhibition Centre will be one of the largest exhibition centres in the world and will be constructed in the west of the city between the historic centre and a development zone on the coastline.

German firm GMP Architekten has planned a linear grid of 32 equal-sized exhibition halls, which will be constructed in two phases on opposites sides of Haigu Road.

Two large entrance halls will be positioned at the centre of the grid as a north-to-south axis. Tree-like columns will support the roof of both structures, while an elevated walkway will cut across the centre of each one to direct visitors into the single-storey exhibition spaces from above.

For larger exhibitions, pairs of halls could be opened out to one another to create 25,000-square-metre spaces.

The proposals also include the addition of hotel accommodation, a congress centre, offices and administration facilities.

GMP Architekten is best-known for designing large sports and leisure facilities. The firm completed four venues for the 2011 World University Games in Shenzhen and three stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. See architecture by GMP Architekten on Dezeen.

Above: proposed site plan - click for larger image

Other buildings planned for Tianjin, China's fourth-largest city, include a pair of museums by Steven Holl and an Olympic-themed museum comprising five connected rings. See more architecture in Tianjin, or see all our stories about China.

Here's some more information from GMP Architekten:

National Convention and Exhibition Centre, Tianjin, China

With their design for the Tianjin Exhibition Centre, the architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) won the 1st prize of an international design competition. To win the prize the practice had to prevail against competition from FUKSAS, HHP, NBBJ/BIAD and others.

In addition to Shanghai and Guangzhou, Tianjin is now the third city where an exhibition centre of international importance will be built. With a total square area of 1.2 million square metres and dedicated exhibition floor space of 400,000 square metres, one of the world's largest exhibition centres will be created in the east of China over the next few years.

The site is located at Tianjin Avenue, the main traffic artery which links Tianjin's historic centre with the so-called Binhai Development Area at the coast of the Yellow Sea. To the north, the site borders the river Haihe which is instrumental in shaping the character of the city. The exhibition ground's central access avenue runs between these two poles and thus generates a spatial connection between the traffic artery and the waterway.

The design concept proposes two almost identical construction phases. They both consist of a central entrance hall roofed over by filigree canopies, 8 exhibition halls on both sides and a main central thoroughfare that connects the entrance halls with the exhibition halls. The functions of the exhibition centre are rounded off with open-air exhibition space, a congress centre, hotels, offices and administration facilities.

The entire exhibition floor space is located on one level. The central access avenue is elevated 9 m above the exhibition and road level. Access to the exhibition halls and the congress centre is from here. The exhibition halls, which are arranged in a linear layout with a floor space of 12,500 square metres each, can be used separately or combined with an adjoining hall to provide a total of 25,000 square metres of space.
The shed-type roof structure of the halls allows the ingress of daylight. With a display of gardens, open air areas and restaurants, the circulation areas provide a convivial atmosphere.

Design: Meinhard von Gerkan and Stephan Schütz with Nicolas Pomränke
Project management, competition: Simon Schetter, Patrick Pfleiderer
Team, competition: Helene Käschel, Katja Pötzsch, Jens Förster, Keke Ye, Stefan Hornscheidt, Bernd Gotthardt, Ulrike Finkbeiner, Thilo Zehme, Jan Deml, Zhou Bin, George Liang, Christian Machnacki, Gai Xudong, Wu Di, Wang Jue, Lin Wei
Project management, planning: Stephan Rewolle, Matthias Wiegelmann, Bao Wei
Team, planning: Lin Wei, Tian Xueli, Mulyanto, Wu Di, Stefan Hornscheidt, Yulia Gandasari
Client: Tianjin Planning Bureau
Gross floor area: Messegelände - 1.200.000 square metres, additional space for urban design purposes - 2.150.000 square metres

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Copper walls will gradually change colour from dark grey to rich brown on the exterior of this church archive in Nuremberg, Germany, by Hamburg office GMP Architekten (+ slideshow).

The seven-storey structure houses the archive of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bavaria and is located close to the main church building on the site of a former factory.

GMP Architekten designed a pinkish sandstone plinth for the base of the building. This allows it to nestle against the side of a hill, as well as to fit in with its neighbours.

"Seen from across the garden, the new archive appears as a continuation and extension of the Theological Seminary," said the architects.

A glazed ground floor is sandwiched between this plinth and the copper-clad upper floors, which comprise two overlapping box-like volumes.

The oxidising copper panels are arranged vertically and interspersed between narrow metal stripes. Alternate panels extend down over windows, creating the appearance of columns.

"The natural metal surface will undergo various oxidation stages and colour changes until it finally develops a velvety, brownish appearance," added the architects.

With 21 miles of shelving, the new facility doubles the storage of the church's previous archive and provides an additional restoration workshop.

A reading room for visitors is located on the entrance floor and leads out onto a large terrace with views of the nearby Wöhrder lake.

GMP Architekten is best known for designing a series of stadiums, including three for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and three for the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai. See more architecture by GMP Architekten »

Other archive facilities featured on Dezeen include a concrete and steel bunker for the British Film Institute and a Corten steel-clad archive for the city of Essen, Germany. See more archives »

Photography is by Heiner Leiska.

Read on for a project description from GMP Architekten:

State archive of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bavaria

Today, the Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Bavaria is inaugurating its new archive in Nuremberg with a special ceremony. The new building, which was designed by architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp), took three years to build and is located on a former factory site in the direct vicinity of the existing main building. With 34 kilometres of shelving, the State Church archive now has more than twice the storage space compared to previously and, in addition, accommodates a restoration workshop and enough space for visitor rooms. In the "Memory of Evangelical Bavaria", the Church is archiving – amongst many other original documents – letters by Martin Luther and documents by popes and emperors, as well as numerous historically important books and paintings. The State Church archive has been designed to include passive air conditioning of the archives.

The new building consists of two intersecting solid cubes which seem to float above a transparent receding ground floor. The structure rises from a basement floor about one metre high along the road, which develops into full storey height along the downward slope towards the south, including a large terrace which offers views of the Wöhrder See lake. The ensemble consists of a solitary building sculpture with main facades on all sides. It thereby confines the adjacent Zeissstrasse on the one side, and the garden of the Theological Seminary to the east on the other side. Seen from across the garden, the new archive appears as a continuation and extension of the Theological Seminary. The plinth of the reinforced steel structure is clad with reddish sandstone which forms a continuation of the existing sandstone wall and anchors the building in the landscape context. The external walls of the archive are finished in a shiny copper facade with a subtle vertical structure. The natural metal surface will undergo various oxidation stages and colour changes until it finally develops a velvety, brownish appearance.

Visitors enter the public areas of the archive via Veilhofstrasse. From there they also reach the lecture hall, which can also be used for exhibitions. This hall faces the corner of Veilhof-/Zeissstrasse in a manner that welcomes the public. The reading room faces both east and west and is located on the quiet garden side. The offices are located above, on two levels surrounding the archive areas, and provide easy access for members of staff to the repository. The repository areas themselves occupy four floors above the ground floor, as well as the two lower ground floors. Since the first lower ground floor extends out on the slope towards the south, access is available from Zeissstrasse to the workshop and functional rooms.

Design: Meinhard von Gerkan and Nikolaus Goetze
Associated Partner: Dirk Heller
Project Leader: Karen Schroeder
Design Team: Christoph Berle, Katharina Traupe, Monika Braig
Implementation Team: Christoph Berle, Miriam Bamberg, Judith Saile, Alexander Schnieber, Sui Jinying
GFA: 9,327 square metres
Client: Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bavaria

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These previously unseen photographs show the faceted modular structure of the Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan, which was designed and completed in just eight months (+ slideshow).

The building, which was presented earlier this month at the Inside Festival in Singapore, had to be designed and constructed simultaneously to be ready in time to host last year's Eurovision Song Contest, so German firm GMP Architekten collaborated closely with contractors Alpine Bau Deutschland and Nüssli throughout the process.

Conceived as both a concert hall and a sports stadium, the 25,000-seat stadium comprises a lightweight steel structure with a faceted membrane facade intended to resemble cut crystal.

According to Nussli's Claus Kruppa, it was originally planned as a temporary structure, but was subtly altered during construction to enable it to remain in place for longer.

"A small change in the drawings, and now it's going to be there for 30-40 years," he said.

The building is located on a peninsula outside the centre of Baku. Its facade is covered with 9500 LED lights, which bring the structure to life after dark.

Here's a timelapse movie showing the building's construction, featuring the winning song from the 2012 Eurovision Contest:

GMP Architekten has worked on several venues for international events. In 2011 the firm completed four stadiums for the World University Games in Shenzhen, while three of its stadiums featured in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Photography is by Marcus Bredt.

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England's nail-biting World Cup football match against Italy on Saturday took place inside this basket-inspired stadium designed by German firm GMP Architekten in a city in the middle of the Amazon rainforest (+ slideshow).

As one of three FIFA World Cup 2014 stadiums either designed or renovated by GMP Architekten, the Arena da Amazônia was built on the former site of a smaller stadium in Manaus, northern Brazil.

In response to the hot and humid climate, the arena is shaded by a curving facade and roof, featuring a criss-crossing exterior pattern intended to reference a traditional indigenous basket.

"With the design of the new Manaus stadium, the aim was to come up with a very simple but highly efficient stadium that would at the same time specifically symbolise the location, particularly the fascination and natural diversity of the tropical rainforest," said the architects.

Held in place by a system of mutually bracing cantilevers, the roof provides shade and shelter over the spectator balconies, but will also channel rainwater away during the tropical showers that are typical throughout the year.

Meanwhile, the exterior envelope is clad with a translucent fibreglass fabric that allows the building to visibly glow at night.

The stadium has capacity for just over 44,400 spectators and was constructed to host four World Cup fixtures. The first major game to take place in the stadium was between England and Italy, and it will also host group-phase matches between Cameroon and Croatia, the USA and Portugal, and Honduras and Switzerland.

The base of the arena accommodates player facilities, parking areas, VIP access and media rooms. Offices, spectator boxes and a restaurant are located within a ring that separates the upper and lower tiers of seating stands.

GMP Arkitechten, who previously designed three stadiums for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, worked on the project in collaboration with São Paulo office Stadia and structural engineers Schlaich Bergermann und Partner.

This time around the firm also developed the concept for BCMF Arquitetos' redevelopment of the 1960s-built Mineirão Stadium in Belo Horizonte and consulted on the renovation of the Estádio Nacional de Brasília.

Located between the airport and the city centre, the building forms part of a sports park featuring an aquatic centre, field and track facilities, multi-purpose halls and a sambadrome – used for Brazilian parades.

Read on for a short description from GMP Arkitechten:

Arena da Amazônia, Manaus

This stadium design was based on the idea of creating a simple but highly efficient stadium which also makes reference to the special location, to the fascination and natural diversity of forms in the tropical rainforest. Designed for 44,400 spectators, the stadium is located at the central traffic axis that links the airport with the inner city.

The new building was integrated into a sports park with Sambadrome, field and track facilities, multi-purpose halls and an aquatic centre. The project was developed in cooperation with the GMP partner practice STADIA from São Paulo and the structural engineers Schlaich Bergermann und Partner.

Making best use of the topography with its gentle slope in the terrain, the stadium has been placed on a base which provides space for VIP access, the media, the players and parking spaces. A ring including spectator boxes, offices and a restaurant separates the upper tier from the lower tier, which is recessed in the base.

The roof structure is composed of mutually bracing cantilever elements in the form of hollow steel box girders which also serve as large gutters for the discharge of the enormous quantities of water expected during tropical rain events.

In view of the hot and humid climate at the Amazon, the roof extends into a facade which provides shade to the spectator balconies and vertical access routes. The roof and facade panels consist of translucent glass fibre fabric.

The Arena da Amazônia is one of the world’s first stadiums to be certified under the LEED scheme administered by the US Green Building Council.

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hosts four World Cup football matches appeared first on Dezeen.

An overhanging upper storey clad in concrete panels leans out over the glazed entrance of this ballet rehearsal building, added to a former transportation hub in the German city of Düsseldorf (+ slideshow).

The three-storey building designed by Hamburg office GMP Architekten for the Deutsche Oper am Rhein ballet company is located in Düsseldorf's Bilk district, on the site of a depot previously operated by local public transport provider Rheinbahn.

It provides the ballet company's approximately 50 professional dancers and 55 students with facilities including two ballet rooms with full-size stage dimensions, three smaller practice spaces, changing rooms, a physiotherapy room and an apartment for guest artists.

The Am Steinberg site will see apartments constructed within a former bus depot, while two listed tram sheds are being converted into workshops for Düsseldorf's arts academy. Historic trams will be on show to the public in one of the old sheds, which will also house more apartments.

The industrial heritage of the site informed the new building's shed-like form and the simple palette of raw materials.

"The architectural style and the associated materials and colour scheme make deliberate reference to the industrial character of the place, giving the building its workshop and atelier ambiance," the architects said.

An open plaza in front of the building leads towards an entrance sheltered beneath the cantilevered volume containing one of the practice spaces. An overhanging upper level was also used by Y+M Design Office for a ballet studio in Japan.

The double-height foyer is lined with glazing. This transparent surface contrasts with the rest of the building's exterior, which is clad in sections of fair-faced concrete.

The prefabricated concrete panels are mounted on the facades to create a non-load-bearing curtain wall with a varied texture that enhances the facility's technical aesthetic.

"As a workshop in the sense of an experimental and creative space, and as a place of incompleteness in a positive sense, the building is not embellished with a prominent colour scheme in the quest for dominance," the architects said.

"This approach is continued in the interior – colour and materials are deliberately restrained and the walls are left in fair-faced concrete."

The minimal material palette is applied throughout the building, including in practice rooms with mirrored walls. Large entrance areas for these rooms provide a buffer, minimising disruptions to dancers practising in front of the mirrors.

The foyer connects with circulation areas including a corridor leading towards the ballet rooms and two staircases that ascend through the building.

The double-height ballet rooms are stacked along one side of the building, while the other side accommodates the changing rooms and other service spaces.

GMP Architekten's previous projects include a stadium in the Amazon rainforest that was used during the FIFA World Cup 2014 and a faceted entertainment venue in Azerbaijan.

Photography is by Marcus Bredt.

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Here's one of three stadiums designed by German studio GMP Architekten for the 2010 FIFA World Cup that begins in South Africa next week.

Called Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and situated in Port Elizabeth, the stadium is made up of a series of curved girders with an alternately opaque and perforated canopy stretched between them.

Sitting on a raised podium, a two-storey colonnaded gallery runs around the entire stadium.

The design of the stadium is tailored to local conditions and is intended to provide necessary protection from the sun and strong winds.

The 46,000 capacity stadium sits in the middle of a park at the heart of the city and overlooks a lake.

More 2010 FIFA World Cup stadiums:

Soccer City by Boogertman Urban Edge + Partners and Populous.

Photographs are © Marcus Bredt.

Here's some more information from the architects:

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Port Elizabeth, one of South Africa’s largest cities, is located in Algoa Bay (Indian Ocean) in Eastern Cape Province, and is now part of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. The third largest port in the country is economically dominated by its role as the principal center of the South African motor industry.

In addition, “P. E.” attracts numerous visitors from home and abroad with its extensive range of water sports, all-year-round temperate climate and proximity to important national parks. With its selection as a venue for the 2010 World Cup, a new World Cup-quality stadium was needed.

The quarterfinals stadium, with a crowd capacity of 46,000, is the largest venue space in P.E., and was conceived as a distinctive, new iconic landmark for the “Windy City”, as it is known.

The stadium is situated close to the center with good transport links, in the direct vicinity of North End Lake, a hitherto neglected part of the city with otherwise poor infrastructure.

Lying between the sea and the lake with enormous development potential, it was a location ripe for the sports park scheme that has been developed.

Apart from hosting football and rugby matches, it offers a variety of opportunities for water sports and cycling. As a leisure centre, it has a unique environmental quality and multifunctional capacity the city has hitherto lacked.

As a freestanding building, the stadium is situated on a raised podium in direct proximity to the lake, in the middle of the gently moving topography of the park. The stadium springs like a flower from the ground, offering a unique image with its reflection in the water.

Its silhouette is notable for the curves of the roof girders and clear configuration of the concrete primary structure below, which forms a two-storey colonnaded gallery. This runs round the entire stadium, and is open to anyone visiting the park on non-match-days.

The glazed suite level marks the horizontal termination of the colonnades on which the roof girders rest, their tips running down to floor level in the lounges. From here they unfurl upwards like leaves, towards the middle of the stadium.

The geometry of the roof is tailored to local conditions, and protects the crowd not only from the sun but particularly from the frequent strong winds.

The distinctive design of the roof results from the alternating arrangement of clad girders and areas of membrane stretched between them.An external top chord with an elevated ridge was used to give the girders a more dramatic look.

The PTFE-membrane zones in the intermediate fields are divided into two zones by a valley cable, producing an alternating pattern of rib shapes and hollows that is reinforced by the alternation of materials.

The aluminum cladding of the triple parabolic girders is perforated in the lower area, giving varying degrees of transparency so as to allow VIPs and circulation areas a spectacular view of the park, lake and sea while still providing the necessary sun screening.

The clear articulation of the exposed roof trusses is obvious from the inside. The alternation between opaque and translucent roof coverings produces an interesting interplay of light and shadow in the interior.

During the day, the membrane areas provide natural illumination beneath the roof. In order to soften the lines of shadow on the pitch, the translucent part of the roof membrane was maximized towards the inner edge of the roof.

On the inner edge of the roof, an encircling edge beam links the tips of the girders to form a platform for the technical equipment. Here, maintenance access, floodlighting and installations are located above the roof membrane and so are not in direct line of view from below.

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The installations for the stands are thus reduced to acoustic and surveillance equipment and integrated into the roof structure. The inner roof termination features as a sharp edge.

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The two-tier stadium has a deep lower tier rising in a gentle parabola. At mid-height, it has openings leading directly to the external gallery. Inner circulation routes provide visitors with easy access to all service areas and somewhere to stretch their legs. The upper tier above the box level with the corporate entertainment gallery is divided into two zones, so as to allow flexible subsequent use of the intermediate floor thus created at upper gallery level.

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This will be used for event space of varying sizes while also providing a number of extra boxes, needed particularly for rugby matches. These rooms have fully glazed fronts facing the pitch, while the perforation of the roof covering offers magnificent views and good environmental quality.

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The remaining rows of the upper tier are accessed diagonally by wide stairways. Whereas the geometrical simplicity of the primary structure radiates calm clarity, the rounded stands of the arena offer optimal views of the pitch and guarantee a highly charged atmosphere.

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The design fulfills all functional, technical and climatic conditions, but at the same time takes cultural aspects into account. Typical building materials that are available or used locally are reinterpreted in the color schemes and materials used.

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The dark red of the brick paving used for the access areas of the park and round the stadium is continued in the various shades of red of the seating inside and the polychrome slate floors of the VIP areas. During the day, the white roof rests on the fairfaced concrete of the primary structure like a lightweight garland of petals, while at night, with its large backlit membrane areas, it looks like a huge storm lamp.

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The façade enclosing the colonnaded gallery at the side of the stadium forms the backdrop to this vision, providing a symbolic reference to the man whose name adorns the stadium and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. With a graphic use of sayings by Nelson Mandela, the gallery (it is over 700m long) is interpreted as a “long walk” in the sense of sporting ambition and Fair Play among equals.

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The construction of the Nelson Mandela Bay Arena has given Port Elizabeth a high-quality sports facility that will revitalize a whole section of the city. That increases the chances that the stadium will be optimally utilized after the World Cup as well.

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All the press and office areas of the arena can for example be converted to facilities for sports and leisure use and voluntary work, while the area between the stadium and the water can be used for lakeside relaxation.

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A new cycle path round the stadium and lake rounds off the leisure facilities in the sports park, so that the district around Prince Alfred Park will attract visitors day in, day out as a place welcoming public space.

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See also:

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Soccer City for 2010 FIFA World Cup	London 2012 Olympics stadium by HOK Sport	Dalian Football Stadium by UNStudio

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Here's another stadium designed by German studio GMP Architekten (see our earlier story) for the 2010 FIFA World Cup starting next week.

The Moses Mabhida Stadium is located in a sporting precinct in Durban on the shore of the Indian ocean and features a 105-metre arch that rises over the circular stadium.

The arch is connected by cable system to the external edges of the roof, carrying the weight of the roof's inner membrane.

A viewing platform, where visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the city and ocean, sits on the apex of the arch and can be reached via cable car.

The 70,000 capacity stadium sits on an elevated platform, with a façade of perforated metal sheeting and a cable-tied canopy roof.

Photographs are © Marcus Bredt.

More 2010 FIFA World Cup Stadiums:

Soccer City by Boogertman Urban Edge + Partners and Populous
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium by GMP Architekten

Here's some more information from the architects:

The Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

In its competition brief of 2006, the city of Durban invited designs for a multi-functional stadium for 70,000 to 85,000 spectators that would become an architectural icon and city landmark.

Our Ibhola Lethu Consortium won the competition to build the new Durban stadium, and was subsequently responsible for the design and the management of construction.

This project group consisted of a total of 32 South African architectural firms plus German partners von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) as consultant architects and Schlaich, Bergermann und Partner (sbp) as conceptual structural engineers.

The Moses Mabhida Stadium is situated on an elevated platform in the central sports park on the shore of the Indian Ocean, and is accessed from the city and station via a broad flight of steps.

A 105m arch rises high over the stadium as a landmark visible from afar.

The main entrance at the south end of the 1.5km long linear park symbolizes the stadium’s gateway to the city, and is formed by the bifurcation of the huge arch.

At the northern end, a cable car transports visitors to the ‘Skydeck’ at the apex of the arch.

From here, you get a panoramic view of the city and the Indian Ocean.

The arch flags the presence of the new stadium, making it an evocative icon on Durban’s urban skyline, interpreted by the multi-ethnic population as a unifying rainbow and, seen from above, a representation of the national flag.

For the 2010 World Cup, the stadium will be fitted with seating for 70,000 spectators.

Afterwards, the number will be reduced to 56,000, but can be temporarily increased to as many as 85,000 for major events.

The multi-purpose stadium not only meets FIFA requirements but can also host the Commonwealth Games or Olympic Games.

The building offers excellent conditions for participants, journalists and spectators, with VIP facilities, the President and Ocean Atriums (both over six stories high), clubrooms and 130 spectator boxes.

The shape of the bowl results from the interaction of the circular roof structure with the triple-radius geometry of the arena.

The great arch carries the weight of the inner membrane roof.

The unusual geometry of the cable system is derived logically from the structure.

Radial prestressing cables are attached to the external edge of the roof all round the stadium and the great arch on one side and the inner edge of the roof on the other, thus forcing the latter into an almond shape.

The PTFE-coated roof membrane admits 50% of the sunlight into the arena while also providing shade.

The perforated façade membrane of profiled metal sheeting rises to the outer edge of the roof, forming a lively pattern of light and shadow and offering glimpses of the interior, which lends the stadium a light and airy feel.

The compression ring and façade are carried on precast concrete columns below and hollow box steel columns above, the height and angle of inclination varying around the stadium from approx. 30m with a 90° inclination to about 50m with a 60° inclination.

The façade membrane of perforated metal sheeting provides protection against driving rain, strong winds and direct sunlight without excluding the outside world.

Inspired by the typical palette of colors of Durban’s coastal landscape, we chose a “maritime” color scheme for the seat shells, ranging from blue and green to ivory, paling from dark at the bottom to light on the top rows.

From a distance, the empty seats in different colors look already occupied, and make a cheerful sight.

The artificial lighting of the stadium is not just functional, but also serves to illuminate the architecture, floodlighting some parts and spotlighting or highlighting others.

The roof surfaces on either side of the great arch are illuminated on top by a line of LEDs mounted directly on the arch.

The rest of the roof membrane is lit from below by floodlights installed on the catwalk.

Atmospheric quality and functional efficiency combine to put Durban’s new icon in the right light.

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See also:

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Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium by GMP Architekten	Soccer City by Boogertman  + Partners and Populous	London 2012 Olympics stadium by HOK Sport

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Here’s another stadium designed by German studio GMP Architekten (see our earlier stories here and here) for the 2010 FIFA World Cup starting this week in South Africa.

Above photograph by Bruce Sutherland

Called Green Point Stadium, the project is located in Cape Town and has a capacity of 68,000 on three tiers.

Once the 2010 FIFA World Cup is over 13,000 of these seats will be removed and replaced with suites for hire and club rooms.

The stadium features a curved laminated glass roof with clear glass in the middle and an enameled ring on the outside to reduce heat and light intensity.

Above photograph by Bruce Sutherland.

The facades and underside of the roof are clad in a translucent glass fabric with a silver coating.

More 2010 FIFA World Cup stadiums:

Soccer City by Boogertman Urban Edge + Partners and Populous
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium by GMP Architekten
Moses Mabhida Stadium by GMP Architekten

Here's some more information from GMP Architekten:

The skyline of Cape Town is dominated by Table Mountain, Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean. Cape Town Stadium forms a landmark at the foot of Signal Hill, and fits respectfully into its environment. The challenge was to create a standalone building in this unique location that enriches rather than mars the world-famous picture-postcard setting.

Above photograph by Bruce Sutherland

Specifically, the job was to design a stadium on part of Green Point Common, an 80ha public park in the city center that would become iconic of Cape Town. The Common also contains South Africa’s oldest golf course and oldest rugby club. It is surrounded by residential areas, and is close to Cape Town’s central business district on the old Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, which is now the city’s main tourist attraction.

Green Point Common has history in Cape Town. It was a rocky wasteland until, in 1923, the government of the Union of South Africa made it over to the city as common land on which recreational areas and sports facilities would be set up. Over the past decades, the area of common land has been whittled away, most of it no longer being accessible to the public, having been leased to private sports clubs and other organizations.

After careful political consideration, it was decided to locate the stadium so as to forge a link between the commercial center and Green Point Common, and reorganize the existing sports facilities. Fort Wynyard artillery fort, Green Point cricket ground and the golf club were integrated into the public park.

Together with the horizontal line of Table Mountain and the rounded top of Signal Hill, the curving contours of the stadium act as a kind of bottom note in a harmonious triad. Lightweight in concept, the circular stadium comes across as unobtrusive and respectful of its surroundings. Its appearance varies greatly with the typical lighting conditions of the area. With its translucent external skin, it reacts to different weather and daylight conditions at different times of the day or seasons, and diverse lighting effects give it a sculptural look.

This design concept was combined with the purely functional requirements. For spectators, it provides a logical but sensory structure, and inside the stadium engenders a terrific atmosphere during soccer and rugby matches and concerts alike. The stadium provides seats for 68,000 spectators, arranged on three tiers, 2,400 of them for business and a further 2,500 in boxes. Broad access promenades on Levels 2 and 6 form “lobbies” round the stadium arena, allowing visitors freedom of movement, a pleasant environment to linger in and ease of orientation round the stadium. The pitch is visible from the “lobby”. The upper “lobby” at a height of 25m offers a panoramic view over Green Point Common, the city and the ocean.

The parabolic profile of the stands gives all spectators an optimal view of the pitch. The strongly curving outline of the top tier contrasting with the more muted curves of the roof edge is a result of their functional geometry. During the 2010 soccer World Cup, temporary rows of seating will be installed on either side on the top tier, but these are due to be replaced later by events suites and clubrooms. That will reduce seating capacity from 68,000 to 55,000 but increase the number of rentable areas, so as contribute to the commercial viability of the stadium post-World Cup.

One critical objection to the politically motivated location in a small-scale setting was the height of the stadium. Due to the rocky subsoil, the pitch and bottom tier could not be sunk into the ground. To reduce the apparent height of the stadium, therefore, we provided an elevated plateau as an artificial land-scape feature that mediates between the surroundings and the stadium and lessens the perceived height of the stadium. Broad ramps and steps on three sides lead up to this plateau, under which is parking space for over 1,200 cars, a goods delivery area and access for fire engines and emergency services.

The need to weigh down the flat suspended roof against aerodynamic uplift and achieve rainwater runoff without pumps prompted us to come up with an innovative structural solution: a synthesis of a saddle-shaped, curved suspension roof and a truss-girder system, with heavy glass roofing to prevent wind suction upwards.

These steel truss girders on load-bearing cables form the core of a roof structure clad on both sides. The 36,000m² roof is made of laminated glass. The inner, 16m-wide ring consists of clear glass so that the pitch gets a lot of natural light, while the external glass areas are enameled, to reduce heat dissipation and cut the light intensity by about 80%. The underside of the roof structure is, like the façades, clad with a translucent membrane, which not only covers the technical installations but also provides sound insulation. The loudspeaker system, floodlighting and stand lighting systems were integrated into the roof. Despite the total glass weight of 4,500 tons, the roof is still a lightweight structure compared with roofs of similar size.

Above photograph by Bruce Sutherland

The façade was designed as a horizontally profiled membrane. Its undulating silhouette transforms the stadium into a large-scale, translucent sculpture. The membrane is a semi-transparent glass fabric with a silver coating, enveloping the load-bearing structure like a veil while allowing glimpses of the interior. In the highly changeable weather conditions in Cape Town, it offers frequently changing reflections—like the changing light conditions and moods of the day: white and light on bright summer days and shrouded in grey on stormy winter days. At sunset, the stadium is bathed in a reddish glow. At night, it gleams like a Chinese lantern, revealing its interior.

Cape Town’s world-famous skyline has acquired a new architectural feature. The new stadium has unobtrusively taken its place in the impressive urban landscape of the Cape of Good Hope and in the hearts of South African citi-zens whatever their ethnic origin.

See also:

.

Moses Mabhida Stadium by GMP Architekten	Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium by GMP Architekten	Soccer City by Boogertman Urban Edge and Populous

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German architects GMP Architekten designed three stadiums for the World Aquatics Championships currently taking place in Shanghai.

The Shanghai Oriental Sports Centre complex includes a multi-purpose stadium, a dedicated indoor aquatics centre, an outdoor swimming venue and a media centre.

Rows of aluminium sails cover the exteriors of the stadiums, which are raised up on artificial islands and surrounded by newly created lakes.

The championships are run by international swimming federation FINA and finish at the end of July.

After the event, the main stadium will be used for boxing, basketball, badminton, ice-hockey and concerts.

Celebrated sports venue architects GMP also designed three football stadiums for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa last year - see the projects »here.

More stories about sports architecture and design on Dezeen »

Photography is by Marcus Bredt.

The following information is from GMP Architekten:

Opening of the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center FINA World Swimming Championships, 16th – 31st July

The sports complex was designed and built by architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp), who won the competitive bidding in 2008, and constructed it in under two and a half years. It consists of a hall stadium for several sports and cultural events, a natatorium (swimming hall), an outdoor swimming pool and a media centre. In keeping with a sustainable urban development policy, the SOSC was built on former industrial brownfield land along the Huangpu River. The individual venues are designed so that after the Swimming Championships, they can be used for a variety of other purposes.

Water is the overarching theme of both the park and the architecture of the stadiums and the media centre. It is the connecting element between the buildings, which stand on raised platforms in specially constructed lakes. Thus the round stadiums have a curved lakeside shore round them, while the rectangular Natatorium has a straight lakeside shore. Design affinities and a shared formal idiom and use of materials give the three stadiums structural unity. The steel structures of broad arches with large-format triangular elements made of coated aluminium sheet form double-sided curved surfaces along the frame of the sub-structures, thus evoking sails in the wind.

Hall Stadium

During the FINA World Swimming Championships, pool events and synchronized swimming championships will take place in the Hall Stadium, which later can be used for boxing matches, basketball, badminton or ice-hockey matches and concerts. The hall has a crowd-capacity of 14,000, which can be increased to 18,000 by the use of mobile seating.

The main structure of the closed building with a round ground plan consists of reinforced concrete, while the roof is a steel structure with a 170 m span with aluminium cladding. The parallel steel girders create 35 m-high arcades and include the glass façades of the encircling open foyer.

Natatorium

The Natatorium contains four pools arrayed in a row: two standard-sized, one for diving and a leisure pool. It has over 3,500 fixed seats, which will be expanded to 5,000 for the world championships, to meet FINA requirements. The swimming hall is a closed building with a rectangular ground plan, a main structure of reinforced concrete and a roof structure of sectional steel girders. The roof structure with triangular glass surfaces is around 210 m long, 120 m wide and 22 m high. Direct, intrusive sunlight is forestalled by means of narrow toplights along the beams, without preventing natural daylighting.

Outdoor pool

This swimming complex is located in the open on an artificial island and offers 2,000 fixed stadium seats. For the World Swimming Championships and other outstanding events, capacity will be increased to 5,000 seats. The competition-size diving pool and diving towers are complemented by a competition pool. As in the other stadiums, the roof structure with its external diameter of c. 130 m reflects the round ground-plan of the shell of the building. The inner diameter is around 90m. The roof trusses are carried by the building structure. A lightweight membrane between the modules provides protection against sun and rain.

Media centre

The 80 m high high-rise building is on the northern side of the sports complex. Its 15 floors include a fitness centre, conference rooms and medical care centre, plus VIP and office areas. Because of the even 8.4m grid, the building can be used flexibly. With its external shell of white, perforated aluminium panels, the building inter- prets the undulating shape of the adjacent lake.

Competition 2008 – 1st prize Design Meinhard von Gerkan and Nikolaus Goetze with Magdalene Weiss
Project leader - Chen Ying
Team - Jan Blasko, Lü Cha, Lü Miao, Jörn Ortmann, Sun Gaoyang, Yan Lüji, Jin Zhan, Fang Hua, Martin Friedrich, Fu Chen, Ilse Gull, Kong Rui, Lin Yi, Katrin Löser, Ren Yunping, Alexander Schober, Nina Svensson, Tian Jinghai, Zhang Yan, Zhou Yunkai, Zhu Honghao
Structural engineers - Schlaich Bergermann and Partners
International installations - ARUP
Landscaping - WES & Partner
Chinese partner firm - SIADR, Tongji Design Institute
Capacity, Hall stadium - 18,000 seats
Natatorium - 5,000 seats
Outdoor swimming pool - 5,000 seats
Client - Shanghai Administration of Sports
Construction period - 2009–2011

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Faceted glass triangles create glowing crowns around a trio of stadiums for the World University Games currently taking place in Shenzhen.

The three Universiade stadiums were designed by German studio GMP Architekten and surround an artificial lake.

The largest of the three buildings is the main events arena, which seats up to 60,000 spectators in three tiered stands.

The second stadium hosts indoor activities including ice skating and the third houses a swimming pool for aquatic events.

The closing ceremony for the games takes place on 23 August.

GMP Architekten have designed a number of stadiums for international competitions, including the recently published World Aquatics Championships complex in Shanghai - see all our stories about stadiums by GMP Architekten here.

Photography is by Christian Gahl.

Here are some more details from GMP:

2011 Universiade in Shenzhen

Inauguration of the Sports Center and Bao’an Stadium

To mark the occasion of the Universiade, which will take place from 12th to 23rd August 2011, the Universiade sports center and Bao’an stadium will be opened tomorrow in Shenzhen, southern China. The international com- petitions to come up with a design for the buildings were won in 2006 and 2007 by the designs of architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp). The Universiade sports center consists of a stadium, a multifunctional hall and a swimming pool. The stadium in the Bao’an district is designed as an athletics stadium. However, during the 2011 Universiade, it is being used for football matches.

Universiades are World Games for students and are held every other year in winter and summer, hosted by the International University Sports Federation, the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU). Going by the number of athletes participating, the summer Universiade is the second largest multi-sport event in the world after the Summer Olympics. It was announced in January 2007 that the 26th summer Universiade 2011 was to take place in Shenzhen.

Universiade 2011 Sports Center

The design for the Universiade Sports Center in the city of Shenzhen is inspired by the surrounding undulating landscape and generates a formal dialog that references Chinese horticulture and philosophy toward the land. The roof structure projects up to 65 m, and is designed as a steel prismatic shell on a basis of triangular fac- ets. The crystalline shape of the three stadia is additionally emphasized by the illumination of the translucent facades at night. An artificial lake connects the stadium with the circular multifunctional hall in the north and the rectangular swimming hall west thereof. The central sports plaza is accessed via a raised promenade from the individual stadia.

The main stadium is planned to be multifunctional, meeting the requirements of international sports occasions and events. Total capacity is 60,000, seated in three stands. The total diameter of the roof is 310 m lengthways and 290 m across.

The indoor sports complex is designed as a circular multifunctional arena for indoor sports competitions as well as for ice-skating and other events. The overall capacity is approx. 18,000 spectators. The swimming complex forms the third module of the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center. The overall capacity is approx. 3,000 spectators, the seats are arranged on two stands.

Click above for larger image

Competition: 2006 – 1st prize
Design: Meinhard von Gerkan and Stephan Schütz with Nicolas Pomränke
Project: leader Ralf Sieber
Staff Xu: Ji, Alexander Niederhaus, Huang Cheng, Niklas Veelken, Martin Gänsicke, Stephanie Brendel, Marlene Törper, Andrea Moritz, Zheng Xin, Kralyu Chobanov, Chen Zhicong, Thomas Krämer, Lin Wei, Martin Schulte- Frohlinden, Plamen Stamatov, Christian Dorndorf, Lian Kian, Zhou Bin, Tobias Keyl, Li Ling, Helge Lezius, Meng Xin, Kuno von Haefen
Structural concept and design roof: schlaich bergermann und partner – Sven Plieninger with Wei Chen
Technical building equipment: IG Tech
Lighting design: Conceptlicht
Acoustics Acoustic Design: Ahnert
Facade planning: Shen and Partner
Chinese partner practices: SADI (stadium), CNADRI (multifunctional hall), CCDI (swimming hall), BLY (landscape design)
Client: Bureau of Public Works of Shenzhen Municipality
Seats, stadium: 60,000
Seats, multifunctional hall: 18,000
Seats, swimming hall: 3,000
Construction period: 2007–2011

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Reed-like steel columns surround another stadium designed by German studio GMP Architekten for the World University Games in Shenzhen.

The green stems support the circular roof of the Bao'an Stadium, which is hosting football matches during the Universiade games.

The suspended membrane roof is stretched across arched supports to create a bubbled surface.

The stadium seats up to 40,000 spectators and will be used for athletics once the games are over.

The closing ceremony for the games takes place on the 23 August.

GMP Architekten also designed a trio of faceted glass stadiums for these games, as illustrated in our earlier story - see all our stories about stadiums by GMP Architekten here.

Photography is by Christian Gahl.

Here are some more details from GMP:

2011 Universiade in Shenzhen

Inauguration of the Sports Center and Bao’an Stadium

To mark the occasion of the Universiade, which will take place from 12th to 23rd August 2011, the Universiade sports center and Bao’an stadium will be opened tomorrow in Shenzhen, southern China. The international com- petitions to come up with a design for the buildings were won in 2006 and 2007 by the designs of architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp). The Universiade sports center consists of a stadium, a multifunctional hall and a swimming pool. The stadium in the Bao’an district is designed as an athletics stadium. However, during the 2011 Universiade, it is being used for football matches.

Universiades are World Games for students and are held every other year in winter and summer, hosted by the International University Sports Federation, the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU). Going by the number of athletes participating, the summer Universiade is the second largest multi-sport event in the world after the Summer Olympics. It was announced in January 2007 that the 26th summer Universiade 2011 was to take place in Shenzhen.

Bao’an stadium

The extensive bamboo forests of southern China were the inspiration for the design, whose slim stanchions carry the weight of the stands and the wide-span roof structure. Visitors pass through the forest of steel supports into the first circulating area of the stadium, and thence go either up the steps to the upper tier or straight on to the lower tier. The image of a bamboo forest is created by the double row of steel supports, where every other in the inner row is connected with the concrete structure of the undulating upper tier, thus carrying the vertical loads of the specta- tor seating. The steel tubes, which are up to 32 m in length, range from 55 cm to 80 cm, varying in accordance with their differing static loads.

A membrane roof suspended from an outer frame was selected to cover the seating areas. With a diameter of 230 m and cantilevering of 54 m on each side of the stands, the roof is carried by 36 pairs of cables whose pre- tensioning is brought together via a circular double tension ring of strand-bundle cables above the pitch. The stadium is designed to hold a capacity of 40,000 spectators.

Competition: 2007 – 1st prize
Design: Meinhard von Gerkan and Stephan Schütz with David Schenke
Project leaders: David Schenke, Li Ran
Staff (design): Jennifer Heckenlaible, Daniela Franz, Zhang Xi, Yin Chao Jie, Zhou Bin, Anna Bulanda-Jansen, Cai Qing, Xu Ji
Staff (execution): Matthias Grünewald, Cai Yu, Wang Le, Wang Li, Zhang Xi, Lucas Gallardo, Zhang Xiao Guang, Sebastian Linack, Li Zheng, Pan Xin, Martin Schulte-Frohlinde
Structural engineering: schlaich bergermann und partner – Sven Plieninger with Wei Chen
Lighting Design: Schlotfeld Licht, Berlin

Chinese partner practice: SCUT South China University of Technology
Client: The Sports Bureau of Bao’an District
Seats: 40,050
Length of the stadium: 245.80 m
Width of the stadium: 245.80 m
Height of the stadium: 39.65 m
Construction period: 2009–2011

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Following their Eurovision Song Contest win last summer, Azerbaijan rushed to commission German firm GMP Architekten to design a new stadium that will be complete in time to host this year’s competition.

The sports stadium and concert hall for the capital city of Baku will seat 25,000 spectators and is being designed and constructed simultaneously in a period of just eight months.

The building’s exterior will be faceted to match the form of a crystal container. GMP Architekten are collaborating with contractors Alpine Bau Deutschland and Nüssli to deliver the project by March 2012.

You can see more stadiums designed by GMP Architekten here, including a trio of venues for Shenzhen that are remarkably similar.

The text below is a statement from the architects:

Sports Concert Complex, Baku, Azerbaijan

Design and implementation of Crystal Hall for the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku
In May 2012, the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku at Crystal Hall.

Alpine Bau Deutschland GmbH, the general contractor for the project, was contracted on August 2nd, 2011 to design and implement a multipurpose event-venue that is meant to accommodate 25,000 spectators.

This challenging task was undertaken by combining the efforts of gmp · Architekten von Gerkan, Marg und Partner, Alpine Bau Deutschland AG, and Nüssli International AG.

The Eurovision Song Contest takes place every year, which means that this striking crystal-shaped building on the peninsula near the city centre, right in the Caspian Sea and in the direct vicinity of one of the world’s highest flagpoles, had to be designed and constructed within a period of just eight months. The building is not a concert hall in the classical sense but a multi-functional indoor arena, which is intended to be a longer-term facility. Normally, event venues of comparable size, such as a football stadium, will require 4 to 5 years for design and construction.

Instead of the usual reinforced concrete construction, the building has been designed as a pure steel structure which consists of three independent parts, i.e. the membrane façade, the modular stadium itself and the interior roof. In order to be able to put up a building of the size of a football stadium in just a few months, design and construction proceed in parallel. An important tool in this complex process is the detailed visualisation of the entire work schedule: it covers and displays each step in chronological order in weekly sequences. A prerequisite for the success of this novel working method is the extensive experience in design, management and construction scheduling provided by the consortium, as well as very good communication between the design team and the construction companies.

The characteristic crystalline shape of the building and its illuminated façade is the response to Azerbaijan’s special request for the creation of a widely visible and visually effective landmark as a bridge between Asia and Europe that will be noticed in an international context. Different dynamic lighting scenarios are currently being programmed for the 9,500 LED lights to highlight the membrane façade and create moods appropriate for the different stages of the events.

Sports Concert Complex, Baku, Azerbaijan
Direct commission following the bidding process in 2011
In Cooperation: with Alpine Bau Deutschland AG, Nüssli International AG
Design: Volkwin Marg and Hubert Nienhoff with Markus Pfisterer, 2011
Project Management: Markus Pfisterer, Silke Flaßnöcker
Staff: Martin Hakiel, Carsten Borucki, Monika Kwiatkowski, Ignacio Zarrabeitia, Helge Lezius, Gerard Slee, Lars Laubenthal, Fariborz Rahimi, Justin Allen, Sebastian Lundelius, Dirk Müller

Client: State Commitee on Property Issues, Baku, Azerbaijan
Structural engineering: SSF Ingenieure München; schlaich bergermann and partners, Stuttgart
Services / Sanitary / Heating / Ventilation: Basler & Hofmann Ingenieure, Zurich
Lighting design: Lichtvision, Berlin
Seats: 25,000
Design and construction period: July 2011 – March 2012
Length of hall: approx. 206 m
Width of hall: approx. 168 m
Height of hall: approx. 25 m

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The 2,000-year-old amphitheatre in Verona, Italy, could be transformed into an indoor stadium with this competition-winning proposal by German firms GMP and SBP.

Architecture office GMP and engineering firm SBP won an international contest seeking ideas for a roof over the Roman arena, which was built in the first century but is still in use today as a major opera venue.

Their vision is for a seashell-inspired structure that folds back, allowing the venue to be either completely sheltered or fully exposed to the sky.

"The competition brief was to design a retractable and reversible roof structure which on the one hand makes it possible to use the arena during bad weather and protects it against adverse environmental effects, and on the other hand respects the historic monument as best possible and interferes as little as possible with the structure and appearance of the amphitheatre," said GMP.

The winning design was selected ahead of 80 other concepts. It comprises a large elliptical ring, elevated above the arena's walls, which would hold the retractable canopy structure.

Winches would be used to move cables out, which would then be given tension by hydraulics. The canopy would then be extended outwards by the winches, "in the shape of a star".

This configuration of a retraction mechanism is "completely unique and has never been built before", according to GMP, although it claims there are similarities to national stadiums in Warsaw and Bucharest.

"From a bird’s eye view, the closed roof appears like a protective scallop shell that gently covers the historic building," said the firm.

GMP and SBP have previously worked together on a variety of other stadium projects, including the Moses Mabhida Stadium in South Africa, the Bao'an Stadium in Shenzhen and the Shanghai Oriental Sports Centre.

Verona Arena – known locally as Arena di Verona – was built for 30,000 spectators, although security today only allows 15,000. The building fell into ruin after the fall of the Roman Empire, but was reopened during the Renaissance.

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Gerkan, Marg and Partners has completed twin 284-metre skyscrapers that dominate the skyline of Zhengzhou, China.

Two glass towers, which rise from L-shaped plinths either side of a square, have recessed "sky lobbies" positioned on alternating sides of the building.

German firm Gerkan, Marg and Partners (GMP) won the competition to design the Greenland Central Plaza for developers Zhongyuan Real Estate in 2010.

The mixed-use development contains offices and apartments, as well as leisure facilities.

The topmost eight levels of each skyscraper is given over to a "sky atrium", filled with shops, restaurants, culture and arts spaces and a spa. Slim vertical louvres provide shade and add to the rippling effect of the facade.

Every eight floors of both 63-storey towers has an outdoor terrace where occupants can look out over the city.

Offset floors radiate out from a square core in a pinwheel fashion, creating a gently undulating facade that shelters the outdoor terraces.

Local businesses will occupy the offices, which are naturally ventilated by concealed openings in the facade.

In total, the complex has created 746,000-square-metres of floorspace. Set on the eastern side of Zhengzhou near the new train station, the development was built as a response the predicted population rise.

The capital of Henan Province is expected to have 11 million inhabitants by 2020.

London-based architecture firm Tonkin Liu won a competition in 2016 to build a an entire family of towers in Zhengzhou. The Cradle Towers of Zhengzhou features five towers topped with greenhouses arranged around a central plaza.

Hamburg-based GMP is the firm behind the Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan, which was designed and built in order to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012.

Last year they won a competition to create a roof for Verona's Roman arena with their retractable scallop shell design.

Main image courtesy of ZMG, all other photos by Zeng Jianghe.

Project credits:

Design: Meinhard von Gerkan and Stephan Schütz with Nicolas Pomränke
Competition project management: Niklas Veelken
Competition design team: Jan Deml, Amelie Neusen, Michael Reiss, Susan Schwarz, Sabine Stage, Jochen Sültrup, Thilo Zehme, Zhou Bin
Detail design project management: Niklas Veelken, Jens Weiler
Detail design team: Markus Busch, Cao Ping, Chen Lan, Chen Yue, Andrew Davis, Jan Deml, Christian Dorn- dorf, Johannes Erdmann, Kuno von Häfen, Boyan Kolchakov, Lin Lin, Fernando Nassare, Kristin Schoyerer, Elsa Tang, Thilo Zehme, Zhou Bin
Project management: China Li Ling
Partner practice in China: TJADRI Group
Structural design: schlaich bergermann partner
Facade consultants: MAE, Meiss Architecture & Engineering Office
Landscape design: WES und Partner
Lighting design concept: licht, Traunreut
Elevator consultants: Parsons Brinckerhoff Engineering Technology
Client: Zhongyuan Real Estate Business Department of Shanghai Greenland Group

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A crescent-shaped membrane roof and aluminium louvres shelter the grandstand of the new 41,000-seat Wuyuanhe Stadium by GMP Architekten on the island of Hainan, China.

Designed by German practice Gerkan, Marg and Partners (GMP Architekten), the stadium is the island's first major sports venue.

Wuyuanhe Stadium's visor-like roof, which has an illuminated band running around its centre, sweeps upwards towards the west in a shape that maximises views from the grandstand out towards the ocean.

This raised, western section houses two tiers of seating, along with facilities for athletes and press. The lower, eastern side has a single tier of seating.

Wuyuanhe Stadium sits atop a raised platform, with a glazed strip around the base providing ground level access and large stairways and ramps leading to the upper level.

"Four streamlined ramps built along the building's diagonal axes draw spectators into the stadium in a continuation of the flowing structures of the natural environment," said the architecture practice.

Given the island's extreme weather conditions, the stadium needed to shade intense sunlight and also withstand heavy rains.

The outer skin of the stadium is formed by rings of silver-white anodised aluminium louvres, giving glimpses through the structure to the stairwells behind and casting dramatic patterns of light. It also doubles as a means of natural ventilation.

Sheltering the grandstand, the translucent membrane roof is supported by two external compression rings and an internal tension ring, developed in collaboration with structural engineers Schlaich Bergermann Partners.

At the centre, a 400-metre running track wraps around the playing field. A two-metre-wide platform runs around the inside of the stadium, providing a panoramic walkway with views of both the city and the ocean.

A pair of 60-metre-high floodlight poles to the east of the stadium provide additional lighting for events, with a silhouette and louvres that mirror the shape of the main building.

As part of the building's sustainability strategy, a rainwater utilisation system diverts water to an underground basin with a capacity of 700 litres.

GMP Architekten has worked on many stadiums across the world. In 2014, the practice completed the basket-inspired Manaus stadium in Brazil, and in 2017 designed a competition-winning proposal for a retractable roof over Verona's 2000-year-old amphitheatre.

Photography is by Schran unless stated otherwise.

Project credits:

Architect: GMP Architekten
Design: Meinhard von Gerkan and Nikolaus Goetze with Magdalene Weiss
Competition project manager: Martin Friedrich, Sebastian Schmidt
Competition design team: Saeed Granfar, Li Chen, Oliver Loesser, Alexa Schmidbauer, Tan Ling, Liu Zichen
Detailed design project leader: Su Wen
Detailed design team: Chen Jingcheng, Sebastian Schmidt, Sui Jinying, Wang Minyu, Xu Haifeng, Zeng Zi, Zhao Mengtong, Chang Wanyue, Wang Jiateng, Zhang Bowei, Zheng Pan
Project management: Jin Zhan, Shen Huiwen
Structural design: Schlaich Bergermann partner
Facade consultants: SuP Ingenieure
Landscape design: SWA
Lighting design: Lichtvision Design
Traffic consultants: Arup
Partner office in China: UDG Client Greenland

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Chengdu Future City is a car-free masterplan for the capital of China's Sichuan province designed by architecture studio OMA to focus on the site's existing geography and topography.

The 4.6-square-kilometre scheme, which is being developed within the rolling hills of east Chengdu, will contain six clusters that are modelled on traditional village settlements in the city.

Each of these zones will be designed by OMA to blend in with its surrounding landscape and incorporate spaces dedicated to education and innovation.

There will also be areas dedicated to housing, government facilities and commercial and public venues, and one cluster with an elevated, circular building transport hub.

Each zone will be car-free, with all buildings within them accessible by foot within ten minutes. A "smart mobility network" that utilises automated vehicles will connect them to the surrounding city.

According to OMA, the goal of the masterplan is to challenge conventional urban planning models, which are typically driven by road networks or maximising gross floor area.

Instead, the scheme is dictated by geography and topography of the site, with a focus on establishing connections to the existing landscape so that the architecture forms a part of it.

"With this project, we hope to provide an alternative to the typical masterplan, which is based on the traditional car-oriented road network," said Chris van Duijn, project lead and partner at OMA.

"We intend to create a design rooted in the geography of the site. We hope that the connection between architecture and landscape will result in a dynamic environment for education that will inspire innovative ideas."

OMA's proposal was the winning entry to a competition to design Chengdu Future City. It forms part of a wider masterplan for the area, for which the studio is now also developing the International Educational Park – a zone to the west side of the site for universities.

As part of this wider scheme, architecture studio GMP is also developing a transit-oriented development nearby on the southeast of the site. This is an urban planning model that prioritises maximising the number of people and buildings in walking distance to transport services.

The International Educational Park is expected to measure 460,000 square metres and will host spaces for multiple universities, including student accommodation, laboratories and offices.

According to OMA, the buildings will be designed to follow the site's topography and incorporate landscaped terraces that act as "an extension of the natural landform of the site".

At the centre of the International Educational Park will be a valley in which OMA will build a landmark "complex building" measuring 80,000-square-metres.

This will become the heart of the campus and contain a library and student centre, alongside auditoriums and a mix of workspaces.

OMA, otherwise known as the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, was founded in Rotterdam in 1975 by Rem Koolhaas, Elia Zenghelis, Madelon Vriesendorp and Zoe Zenghelis. Today it also has offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, New York, Dubai, Doha and Sydney.

Other masterplans currently under development by the studio include the Morden Wharf neighbourhood for London's riverside, alongside the transformation of two Milanese railway yards into "ecological filters", which it is carrying out with Laboratorio Permanente.

Elsewhere in China, OMA recently completed an office skyscraper in Shenzhen with three cut-outs for terraces, and a giant glass office in Beijing that is punctured by geometric insets for Tencent.

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