China’s MAD Architects has unveiled its design for the Cloud 9 Sports Centre, a mirror-clad development surrounded by parkland in the central business district of Shijiazhuang, capital of northeast China’s Hebei Province.
The 6,000 sq m development contains an athletic complex with a gym, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, and commercial spaces, surrounded by the city’s Central Park, as well as residential, commercial, and recreational areas.
A circular running track connects the building to the park, along with the tennis courts, terraced squares and observation decks.
The building is clad in a silvery translucent ETFE membrane, which MAD says will create a “luminous cloud” that mirrors its surroundings.
The building’s first-floor roof extends towards the park and has been partially covered with green plants. The second-floor contains cooling towers that aid air circulation.
There is a semi-outdoor staircase on the side facing the park, which will enable gym users and the public to walk up to the third floor, and access a rest bar located along the stairss.