Architects: BIAD – Beijing Institute of Architectural Design | ZXD Architects
Area: 38,960 ㎡
Year: 2021
Photography: Zhepeng Zhang
Lead Architects: Xiaodi Zhu
Architects Team: Xiaodi Zhu, Dawei Wang, Yong Zhu, Zhepeng Zhang, Yanliang Sun, Qiran Zhang, Xi Zhang, Shuang Han, Yang Jing, Wenjing Liu
Structural Engineering: Lijie Liu, Bo Han, Hui Wang
Mechanical Services Engineering: Jianpeng Zhang, Lei Shi, Rui Zhou
Electrical Engineering: Qinghai Jiang, Shuang Wang, Lu Chen
Lighting Design: Beijing Puri Lighting Design Co., Ltd. | Fang Hu
Interior Design: Design R&D Management Center (SD&DD) | Yuanxni Liu, Tingting Jin; Beijing Lihengyuan Decoration Co., Ltd. (CD&CA)
Energy Consultant: Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning & Design Institute | Wei Xiao
Client: Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sport Center Co., Ltd.
City: Beijing
Country: China
The Wukesong Ice Sports Center, designed by ZXD Architects in collaboration with the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, was completed in 2021 as a central venue for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Located in Beijing’s Haidian District, the 38,960-square-meter facility served as the official Ice Hockey Training Center. The program integrates two arenas with seating for 1,900 and 900 spectators, most of which are placed underground to optimize land use and thermal efficiency. Certified with three stars under China Green Building standards, it is recognized as the largest ultra-low-energy stadium in the country. After its Olympic role, the building will continue as a public hub for winter sports, advancing Beijing’s ambition to foster year-round engagement with ice and snow activities.
Urban images and architectural information flow rapidly across massive media platforms, turning “meaningful space” into a textual object that gradually detaches from physical entities. How to make architectural works widely recognized, quickly memorable, clearly interpretable, accurately understood, and deeply empathetic has become a new focus in contemporary architectural creation.
Interview with Zhu Xiaodi of ZXD Architects
The building’s position within the Wukesong Sports Complex establishes a strong dialogue with the adjacent basketball arena. This symmetrical relationship highlights its commemorative significance as one of the few newly built Olympic venues. The architects sought to translate this symbolic responsibility into a design that balances functional needs with allegorical meaning, rooting the building in both physical performance and cultural resonance.
Much of the facility is concealed below grade, where the main rink and training spaces are organized around a compact plan. This strategy reduces the above-ground profile while maintaining a generous program for athletes and audiences. By embedding the arenas underground, the design also benefits from stable thermal conditions, lowering energy demands and supporting the project’s sustainability targets.
The exterior is defined by a lattice façade rotated at 45 degrees, recalling the cracking patterns of ice. This geometric skin wraps the building, concealing its mass and lending a sense of lightness. The effect is further enhanced by the way the façade modulates perception, creating an impression of floating ice flowers that shift between abstraction and figuration. The approach merges aesthetic symbolism with architectural discipline.
Between the patterned screen and the main façade, the Winter Olympic Games’ Corridor creates a ceremonial threshold. As sunlight penetrates the lattice, dynamic shadows animate the walls and ground, producing a visual environment that evokes frozen landscapes. This intermediate space captures the commemorative character of the Games while offering visitors a moment of reflection framed by light and shadow.
The structural system mirrors the external geometry, with slanted columns and trusses aligned to the façade’s grid. This continuity of pattern demonstrates a rigorous structural logic while simultaneously reinforcing the crystalline imagery of the design. The relationship between concealed structure and symbolic form embodies the architects’ pursuit of “opaque transparency,” where meaning emerges gradually through experience.
Sustainability was integral to the project’s conception. Advanced insulation, efficient mechanical systems, and energy recovery technologies contribute to its ultra-low consumption profile. Achieving the highest level of China Green Building certification, the center sets a precedent for environmentally responsible sports architecture in China. Its performance credentials underscore the potential for large-scale venues to combine technical innovation with symbolic design.
Illumination and color add a final layer to the building’s identity. By reducing the density of aluminum patterns, the façades allow light to articulate surfaces with precision. At night, the building becomes a luminous landmark, radiating vitality while reinforcing its imagery of ice and snow. This capacity to transform between day and night ensures the Wukesong Ice Sports Center remains both a functional sports venue and a cultural beacon, carrying the legacy of the Winter Games into Beijing’s urban future.
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Project Location
Address: Beijing, China
The location specified is intended for general reference and may denote a city or country, but it does not identify a precise address.
