Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, Multi-purpose sports stadium in Nanshan District, China.
Shenzhen Bay Sports Center is a sports complex in Yuehai with three separate buildings for different activities. It includes a stadium, gymnasium, and swimming facility that together accommodate tens of thousands of visitors.
The project was approved in May 2007 as a venue for the 2011 Summer Universiade. After the original "Sea Shell" design by Li Xinggang won a public vote, the commission switched in March 2008 to the "Spring Cocoon" scheme by Nikken Sekkei and the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design. Ground was broken on 11 September 2008, and in December 2008 the Nanshan district government handed construction and 50-year operation to China Resources under a BOT arrangement. The main structure was topped out in December 2009 and the complex was delivered in April 2011, opening the Universiade that year.
The nickname "Spring Cocoon" comes from the white steel lattice that wraps the stadium, arena and swimming hall into one shell, echoing the nearby China Resources Tower known as "Spring Bamboo". Since 2015 the arena has hosted the annual RoboMaster robotics competition, and the site has staged concerts by Mariah Carey, Jessie J and Westlife alongside the 2011 Universiade opening ceremony.
The complex sits on 30.774 hectares of reclaimed land by Houhai Bay, within walking distance of Houhai station on Metro lines 2, 11 and 13, and Keyuan station on lines 2 and 13. The stadium's east side has an open sky corridor with a viewing restaurant, while the west stand holds the boxes and VIP rooms. The 15 outdoor tennis courts and 8 basketball courts are outdoors, so check the weather before travelling.
The building features a distinctive steel outer shell that wraps around all three sports facilities, creating a unified architectural element. This design allows visitors to move between the different venues without going fully outside.
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