Looking at craftsmanship in simplicity, a venue

Zhejiang Online, September 17th - A venue has revitalized and awakened the vitality of the city. In Linping New City, Hangzhou, the renovated Linping Sports Center is ready. On September 19th, here will be the first to welcome the Asian Games football and volleyball matches.

In order to welcome visitors from all directions, the Linping Sports Center, built in 1997, utilizes limited space resources and invests as little as possible to upgrade and transform it into a comprehensive sports stadium that can simultaneously undertake multiple large-scale competitions.

Adhering to the principle of frugality in organizing competitions, 44 of the 56 competition venues for the Hangzhou Asian Games were renovated or temporarily built, and all 31 training venues were renovated.

Behind the revitalization of the venue, there is both Hangzhou's craftsmanship in design and construction, as well as the pursuit of excellence in management and operation.

"Saving more than just money"

The Linping Sports Center carries the memories of a generation. It is located in the core area of Linping New City and has witnessed the rapid economic and social development of Linping for over 20 years. In the past, this area was surrounded by suburban farmland, but now it is surrounded by high-end hotels, office buildings, and residential buildings, every inch of land is worth it.

Looking down from the air at the current Linping Sports Center, sports venues such as stadiums and gymnasiums are like scattered pearls, connected by a ribbon like corridor, appearing very dynamic. The Hangzhou Asian Games volleyball, football, karate and other events will be held here, producing 17 gold medals.

As the first batch of sports venues to receive the task of hosting the Asian Games, the biggest challenge faced by Linping Sports Center in the design and planning process is the limitation of space and land resources.

The original composition of the venue was: an indoor sports hall with 3000 seats, a swimming pool for public fitness and leisure, and an outdoor sports stadium with about 6000 seats, which is used daily by the adjacent Linping Vocational High School. The overall scale of the venue is not large.

If one wants to undertake the highly anticipated Asian Games competitions such as football and volleyball, the existing venues may appear somewhat cramped in terms of hardware facilities and software support, which is far from meeting the standards of the Asian Games and the audience's viewing needs.

"Can we expand the surrounding area and expand the space?" Initially, local officials proposed this idea. But this not only means expensive demolition and construction costs, but may also have a significant impact on the lives of surrounding residents and business operations, deviating from the principle of simple competition.

What should we do? Through multiple rounds of consultation and comparison between the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee and relevant departments in Linping, the Linping Sports Center has achieved exquisite design by requesting space in the air and underground. While retaining the original layout of the venue, it has been renovated to meet the functional needs of hosting top-level events.

For example, in the renovation process of the original sports stadium, the east stand will be retained, and the west stand will be renovated. While expanding the space of the sports stadium through the addition of columns, the new roof of the sports stadium will also be supported. On the premise that the total area of the original sports center remains unchanged, the number of grandstand seats has been increased to 10000. In a similar way, the seating in the gymnasium has also increased, and the viewing space has become more spacious.

The Linping Sports Center has also added an aerial corridor to connect various venues and divide multiple entry and exit paths to cope with the potential influx of large crowds during volleyball and football matches.

After continuous optimization of the design plan, the construction budget of the Linping Sports Center project has been reduced by 20%. "Saving is not just about money," said Xu Jing, the person in charge of Linping Sports Center. Through the renovation, we have also saved every inch of land resources and time costs, improving everyone's viewing experience.

"Simple but not simple"

At night, the roofs of the Linping Sports Center venues alternate with blue, yellow, and purple lights, showcasing the softness of the Jiangnan water town amidst the changing colors. Under the lighting, the atmosphere of the Asian Games in Linping is lively but not overly exaggerated.

"Simple but not simple." Li Yugang, Deputy Commander in Chief of Facilities and Services at Linping Sports Center, said that the Asian Games venues use a combination of green and energy-saving products and intelligent control systems in lighting, and achieve various scene applications through scientific control, reducing energy consumption by 60% compared to traditional lighting systems.

Simplicity is not simply lowering standards or sacrificing the viewing experience. Frugal competition management relies more on the application of new technologies and the pursuit of excellence in management.

After the renovation of the Linping Sports Center Stadium, it has become a Grade A stadium capable of hosting top-level football matches. The competition lawn is composed of 5% fake grass and 95% real grass, which can quickly filter rainwater, avoid water accumulation and potholes, and withstand the foot and kick of football players, making it durable and long-lasting. In the long run, it saves the investment in duplicate laying.

There is also innovation on a small signboard. Due to the fact that the gymnasium of Linping Sports Center has to host competitions such as volleyball, karate, and seated volleyball. Different competition events require different signage, and if each event is rebranded, the investment will not be small. After multiple investigations and comparisons, Linping Sports Center has adopted a type of super permeable film that can be applied and used at any time. After the event information changes, the original signage does not need to be remade or replaced, as long as it is covered with a thin film of the changed text. This not only speeds up the replacement process, but these signs can also be used for a long time after the end of the competition.

Logistics support personnel are a significant investment in venue operation and maintenance. How many cleaning and logistics personnel are needed for a venue of this scale? At the Linping Sports Center, the number of cleaning staff decreased from an initial estimated 200 to an actual 119.

"The personnel have decreased by nearly half, but we still have confidence in ourselves." Walking into the operation and maintenance office of Linping Sports Center, the walls were covered with floor plans of the venue, which detailed the responsibility areas for cleaning, electricity, and other security measures, and personnel were accurately arranged in each area. A person in charge told reporters that these "battle plans" involving personnel arrangements were finalized after everyone walked through the scene and adjusted over 20 drafts.

"Returning to the people and leaving lasting wealth"

The citizens of Linping experienced the sports enjoyment brought by high standard venues earlier than the athletes of the Asian Games.

In September 2021, after the completion and acceptance of Linping Sports Center, it was opened to the public as a national fitness facility, with a total of over 500000 people coming here for fitness and exercise.

The Asian Games venues are not built solely for the Asian Games. After the new construction of the venue, only by continuously using it to generate economic and social value can the initial investment not be in vain.

For many years, citizens of Linping who could only go out to watch games can now enjoy high-level competitive sports at their doorstep. This year, the National 5-a-side Football League has already started in the early stages of Linping, and high-level volleyball leagues are also expected to settle in Linping.

"After the Asian Games, returning the venue to the people will leave lasting wealth." Xu Jing said that at the beginning of the construction of the Linping Sports Center, there were already considerations, and the venue should be built and used as a public service facility. For example, the new venue has added over 700 underground parking spaces, which are usually open to the public to solve the parking problem of surrounding residents. They can also be used as backup for large-scale events, cultural performances, and other events in the future.

Under normal circumstances, most of the venues in Linping Sports Center will be open to the public for free or at a low price. It is reported that the Linping Sports Center has introduced a rainwater recycling system during the renovation process, using green and energy-saving materials to reduce operating costs and ensure sustainable utilization in the future. From indoor sports stadiums to outdoor sports stadiums, Linping has developed a comprehensive plan for each venue, which includes four seasons of operation, sustainable utilization, and diverse business formats.

It is worth mentioning that during the venue renovation process, the Linping Sports Center also renovated a wind and rain playground. During the Asian Games, it serves as a warm-up area for athletes to jog. After the Asian Games, it will be handed over to the operation and maintenance management of Linping Vocational High School for students to exercise.

Simplicity without simplicity, frugality without losing brilliance. Like the Linping Sports Center, the Hangzhou Asian Games have revitalized numerous sports venues and integrated them into the process of urban renewal, which is an important asset left by the event.