SAIC Motor Pudong Arena Shanghai
A Porcelain Bowl for Football: Sculptural Architecture for Maximum Atmosphere
With the SAIC Motor Pudong Arena, Shanghai has gained a stadium that meets international standards while also functioning as an urban meeting point for sport and leisure. Its compact form and clear architectural language make the arena a place that creates identity and evokes emotion.
New landmark for China’s football culture, comprising a stadium, two training pitches, and public and cultural amenities.
First FIFA stadium in China: the home ground of Shanghai Port FC meets international FIFA standards.
Multiple awards: 2021 ICONIC Award – Innovation Architecture, iF Design Award 2022, The 9th Architectural Creation Award of ASSC.
The design draws on the aesthetic of a porcelain bowl: a flat, compact geometry enveloped by a white, shimmering metal façade.
Continuous lines and the LED illumination of the roof enhance the impression of elegance and lightness. The purist formal language deliberately shifts the focus towards the match and the interaction within.
The double‑tiered stand structure with an overhanging upper tier ensures optimal sightlines and close proximity to the pitch, even from the highest rows. The compact construction generates the desired “cauldron effect” and enhances the stadium atmosphere. Encircling promenades and clear circulation routes ensure efficient visitor organisation.
The roof follows a “less is more” principle: a spoke wheel structure with an inner tension ring and outer compression ring enables a column‑free span of 56 metres, implemented worldwide for the first time. The reduction of roof structure creates an unobstructed view of the pitch and stands, while reinforcing the lightness of the design.
The arena’s low, horizontal volume integrates gently into the green outskirts of Shanghai. The building is not only a football stadium but also an important urban place for fitness, leisure, and entertainment.
A generous, continuous promenade functions as the main organiser of visitor flows. Running along the glazed and accessible ground floor, it invites strolling, pausing and gathering.
- Project
- SAIC Motor Pudong Arena
- Location
- Shanghai
- Client
- Shanghai Jiushi (Group) Co., Ltd.
- Partners
- Arcplus Institute of Shanghai Architectural Design & Re-search, schlaich bergermann partner
- GFA
- 139.300 m²
- Services
- General planning, architecture, interior architecture, land-scape architecture
- Completion
- 2021
- Uses
- Stadium, training pitches, gastronomy, leisure
- Capacity
- 33,000
- Awards
- 2021 ICONIC Award – Innovation Architecture, iF Design Award 2022, The 9th Architectural Creation Award of ASSC
