Calculate three frugal accounts. The construction and operation team of the cricket court at the Hangzhou Asian Games has transformed into an actuary

Zhejiang University of Technology Asian Games Cricket Stadium

Cricket, for many Chinese people, is an unfamiliar niche sport, but it is particularly popular in South Asian countries such as India.

Before the preparation for the Hangzhou Asian Games, little was known about cricket, and there was no standard cricket court in Zhejiang. It was not until December 2020 that the construction of the cricket court for the Hangzhou Asian Games began at Zhejiang University of Technology, which was also the latest among the 12 newly built venues for the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

"The selection and construction of cricket courts lack experience, and a lot of time was spent on research and calculation in the early stage, in order to build the courts with as little investment as possible." Tong Xiaolei, Deputy Director of the Construction Department of Zhejiang University of Technology, said that after receiving the task, the school immediately established a preparatory working group for the Asian Games cricket competition led by the president to start the construction of the Asian Games cricket courts. Among them, not only administrative personnel from the school, but also professors and senior engineers in the field of architectural design from Zhejiang University of Technology were invited to participate in the research.

Simplicity is one of the principles followed in the construction of the Asian Games cricket court. The members of the construction and operation team at Zhejiang University of Technology transform into "actuaries", writing down the accounts for design, construction, and operation, reducing costs and improving quality.

The first account is the design account.

"Although cricket is a niche sport, the playing field is not small," Tong Xiaolei said. The cricket court is approximately an oval shape, with a playing area of approximately 13500 square meters, which is about the size of two standard football fields.

There is a large green space between the library and gymnasium at the Pingfeng Campus of Zhejiang University of Technology, with a total area that meets the requirements. It can also be equipped with corresponding building spaces such as athlete rest and news broadcasting. According to the initial plan of the Asian Cricket Council, the cricket court would be built in an oval shape, but this would occupy two main roads inside the campus and the external river channel. A passage bridge would also need to be erected on the north side, which would greatly increase the construction cost and time cost. To this end, the team comprehensively studied and researched the rules of cricket matches, consulted domestic and foreign construction cases, and conducted multiple rounds of online communication with the Asian Cricket Council. They repeatedly discussed design plans, and tailored to local conditions to minimize the impact on the surrounding environment and facilities while ensuring that it did not affect the game. After on-site inspections, members of the Asian Organizing Committee and the Asian Cricket Council finally agreed to this design. This has saved at least 12 million yuan for venue construction.

The second account is the construction account.

Cricket and baseball have similarities in that they both rely on throwing and hitting to compete, and the central fairway in the field is a key area for cricket to rebound and roll, with particularly high requirements for the soil quality of the playing fairway. In order to find this clay that meets the parameters, the construction team of Zhejiang University of Technology, under the professional guidance of the Asian Organizing Committee, compared 27 samples and ultimately chose a type of clay from Yancheng, Jiangsu. However, long-distance soil transportation involves certain uncertainties and high costs. "Can clay achieve local 'substitution'?" An expert's joke was taken seriously by the Zhejiang University of Technology team. Led by Ding Zhihao, the chief engineer of campus construction, and foreign field experts from the Asian Boardboard Federation, they visited the undeveloped areas of the campus and finally found an alternative 'local soil'. The effect is consistent with that of Yancheng soil, which can be directly used for the construction of competition or training fairways. This has saved a significant amount of funds for the construction of cricket courts.

The third account is the operation and maintenance account.

People are the key to venue operation and maintenance. As one of the first key universities under construction in Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University of Technology fully leverages its talent advantages. Translators for some minor languages can be provided by teachers within the university without the need for expensive external hiring. Some daily service operations involve enthusiastic student volunteers. There are a total of 109 key staff members holding P-class certificates in the cricket field, except for 23 who come from the school, the rest are teaching staff of the school. This not only saves a lot of costs, but also increases the familiarity with each other's cooperation. Zhang Fei, Deputy Director of Venue Facilities Operation and Maintenance, introduced that adhering to the principle of "borrowing but not renting, renting but not buying", some conference tables and office chairs in the venue are directly borrowed from the existing ones on campus.

After completing the three accounts, the Hangzhou Asian Games also left a long-term utilization account for Zhejiang University of Technology. Zhejiang University of Technology aims to promote cricket and actively strengthen cooperation and exchange with foreign universities by organizing the Asian Games cricket tournament "Meeting Friends with the Ball". The newly built supporting buildings will serve as the school's conference center and teacher-student activity center in the future, providing public spaces for various academic and cultural activities for teachers and students.

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