Populous-designed Incheon Asiad Main Stadium to host opening and closing ceremony of the 17th Asian Games

The Populous-design Incheon Asiad Main Stadium will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 17th Asian Games to be held in Incheon from 19th September until 4th October. The stadium will also host all athletic events during the Games.

The stadium for the 17th Asian games was designed by international sports specialists Populous in association with local firm Heerim Architects and Planners and illustrates a new level of sustainable design in stadia in Asia.

The multipurpose stadium will hold 60,000 people during the Games will reduce down to a single sided grandstand for 30,000 afterwards as a People’s Park for the city of Incheon.

Legacy and sustainability were the driving factors in designing the stadium in Incheon. Populous Senior Principal Andrew James:

“We wanted to take a fresh look at the way we treat adaptable stadia in Incheon.

“Rather than considering how we could shrink a 60,000 seat stadium, we turned the idea on its head and thought let’s build a 30,000 seat stadium and add 30,000 temporary seats.

“This approach provided multiple advantages. Financially it reduced the building by two thirds meaning there are substantial savings in operational and maintenance costs. Secondly, it meant the permanent seats could be sited in the optimal position for these sports, in this instance, in the West stand.

“But the biggest advantage in the design is the freedom it provided in terms of legacy. The plans were always based on a community park, which after the Games, will replace the Eastern stand, forming a traditional stadium hill, with plazas on the north and south ends, providing atmospheric spectator viewing during a match , and a green space for the public to enjoy at all other times.

“If the social legacy is achieved in the way it was originally planned, I think the world will sit up and notice that Korea is leading the way in delivering a sports’ project with a real defined legacy”.

Symbolism is important to Korean culture, dance and music are part of everyday life. The traditional Buddhist ritual dance, the Seung Moo Monk dance, provided the image that reflected perfectly the architectural drama of Incheon stadium – flowing form and space around dynamic movement.