Climate, standard and symbolization: critical regional approaches in designs of China-aided stadiums

Since the late 1950s, China has exported numbers of construction aid projects, among which stadiums occupy a considerable proportion and stand out from other types of China-aided buildings due to their unique qualities. These large-scale projects are located in different geographical and cultural contexts. Critical regionalism has been an influential architectural approach in designs of China-aided stadiums. Through a detailed analysis of case projects, site investigation, first-hand materials, and interviews with designers, the authors aim to explore and highlight critical regional approaches in designs of China-aided stadiums. Three categories of design approaches are revealed: bio-climate, standard-adaptive and symbol-oriented approaches. What design approaches Chinese architects prefer to use at different times and under different conditions, and what can be achieved by using such approaches are also explored. This paper tries to supplement the current scholarship on Chinese architecture.