Designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, the stadium spans 19 hectares and is built on a steel-rod structure with a roof covered with solar panels. About 8,844 solar panels have been installed on the roof, sufficient to power the entire venue’s lighting requirements.
The solar panels lend the roof a scaly and metallic appearance, leading to the stadium being dubbed as the Dragon Stadium. The roof is made of solar panels combined with roof materials aided by computer modeling.
A look under the roof, at the spine-like column of concrete pillars that curve around the stadium lends further credence to this descriptive name. The semi spiral-shaped stadium will be the first stadium in the world to provide power using solar energy technology.
The stadium has been designed to be one of the most environment-friendly buildings in the world. In the design and construction of the stadium, building process information technology software (BIM) has been extensively made use of. Computer modeling has also helped builders in determining the possible impact earthquakes and typhoons would have on the stadium and the ways to protect spectators from tropical sun.
A crescent-shaped fountain is featured at the entrance for the winds to pass through. They help in conditioning the air naturally. Feng shui – a traditional Chinese system of aesthetics that dictates design and placement of objects to improve the positive flow of universal energy – has been used in the roof design.
Computer modeling has helped the builders in completing the task on time with accuracy. The roof will supply about 70% of the energy requirements and the sensor chips on the roof will track all electricity intake and distribution, sending the information to servers in the control station, which is similar to a small power station inside the facility. There are 20 to 30 sensor chips per row of solar panels, and around 200 rows on the roof.
After the World Games, the stadium will become the new home of the Taiwan national soccer team.
