'Lotus flowers' in harmony with the forest park

Updated：2007-10-05

The "petals"

(BEIJING, Oct. 5) -- The three main courts at the Olympic Green Tennis Centre -- the main and the No. 1 and 2 courts -- have been built to resemble three lotus flowers from afar, with stands forming 12 sides and offwhite external walls made of dry concrete.

Zheng Fang, chief architect of the project, said the concept was to create a highly open tennis center in the backdrop of the forest park with no excessive decorations on the external wall -- a strong expression of the harmony of architecture and nature.

When the design was submitted, the International Tennis Federation considered the scheme to be an extension of the atmosphere and tradition of the tennis game and a highly professional tennis center, Zheng said.

The main court, for the finals of the Olympic tennis events, is the largest "flower" among the three. During the Games, a maximum crowd of 10,000 will sit here to enjoy the sunshine and the exciting tennis matches. The court has 48 cast-in-place reinforced concrete cantilever beams propping the 12 petal-like stands. At 42 degrees, each beam is 17 meters long and weighs 62 tons.