Incheon Asiad Main Stadium

Design and construction

On April 17, 2007, Incheon was chosen as the venue for the 15-day Asiad that would be held from September to October 2014. Forecasts at the time indicated that around 20,000 people would participate in the event, with 13,000 athletes and delegates from the 43 National Olympic Committees from Asia were going to represent their countries, while around 7 thousand media representatives could to cover the event.

Due to the lack of a stadium or a suitable place in the city for athletics events, the Bid Committee decided to build a stadium that suited the needs of the Games. But, at the same time as it was built for the event, could not become a "white elephant", as the city's main stadium was Munhak Stadium. However, Olympic Council of Asia rules state that the minimum capacity for a stadium to host ceremonies and athletics during the Asian Games is of more than 45,000 people. Due this conditions, the bid committee made an international competition winning by the global architecture firm Populous that also designed London's London Olympic Stadium has designed the stadium in collaboration with Heerim Architects and Planners. The chief feature of the stadium is its sustainability. The design configures the main facilities towards the permanent western side, while the temporary seating spaces towards the eastern side. The temporary seating will be removed after the games.

In the beginning of the stadium, the reflections of the traditional Buddhist ritual Seung Moo Dance is seen. It exhibits form and space around active movement. The forces of yin and yang form the nucleus of the architectural design. The stadium was built based on the three concepts of "incorporating light", "bringing in the rising wind", and "dancing with joy" to embody the energy of Incheon and the excitement shared by the participating countries through sporting events.

The five-story main stadium stretches across a total ground area of 113620 m2 and is designed to seat over 60,000 spectators. Its two huge roofs form delicate undulating curves and its overall shape looks like a spaceship, which blends perfectly with the vast lawn plaza. The surrounding areas of the main stadium were designed in an environment-friendly manner, including the Eco Canal that connects two streams flowing nearby and Biotope, a small-scale ecological habitat. The sculptures throughout the stadium grounds are also noteworthy. After Asian Games come to an end, the main stadium will be re-purposed into a multi-use space for a wider range of cultural events The stadium uses eco-friendly energy, such as solar heat and terrestrial heat, as well as state-of-the-art information technologies (IT). Seven sports facilities such sports as swimming, volleyball, tennis and bowling will get under way.

Transport

The stadium has a total of 1,977 parking spaces. The stadium is served by ten different bus stops (Line 1, 7, 13, 17, 17-1, 70, 77, 700, 700-1 and 903) and also 42-1 for 78 m that is linked to downtown. Geomam station (Airport Railroad Line), Exit 1 is other transport link. Incheon Subway Line 2 has a total of four stations in the Asiad Park.

References

References

1. "Incheon Asiad Main Stadium".
2. {{usurped
3. [http://populous.com/news/2014/09/19/populous-designed-incheon-asiad-main-stadium/ Populous-designed Incheon Asiad Main Stadium to host opening and closing ceremony of the 17th Asian Games]
4. "A complete guide to the 36 sports at Asian Games 2014". News18.
5. Paralympic. (17 October 2014). "Five Athletics Rivalries Incheon 2014".
6. [https://archive.today/20140924103924/http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=1942734 Visit Korea: Incheon Asiad Stadium]
7. "Incheon Asiad Main Stadium (인천아시아드주경기장)".