Populous has been appointed by Vietnamese developer Sun Group to design the stadium and arena at the Rach Chiec National Sports Complex near Ho Chi Minh City. The commission follows Populous’ masterplan for the 186.78-hectare site, where a groundbreaking ceremony was held earlier this year.
The stadium will seat 70,000 people and the arena 18,000. Populous is developing the venue designs from its Singapore studio, working with teams in Brisbane and Southeast Asia.
A retractable roof and open concourse
The stadium is planned with a fully retractable, acoustically rated roof. Populous says it is designed to reduce the noise reaching nearby homes during major concerts and other events. It would also give organisers control over conditions inside the stadium.
The roof and building form draw on the nipa palms growing beside the site’s waterways. Below, an open concourse is intended to shelter spectators from the weather without closing the stadium off from the rest of the complex.
The plans also call for seating that can be reconfigured, air conditioning controlled by zone and digital and broadcast systems.
Sports facilities around a central park
Beyond the stadium and arena, the masterplan includes an aquatic centre, multi-purpose halls, training facilities and sports medicine services. They are arranged around a central park and riverscape, with commercial space planned nearby. Populous says the complex is intended to be used by local residents as well as crowds attending major events.
The practice says its masterplan was designed to accommodate around 90% of Olympic sports. It has also considered the scale, zoning and security requirements of competitions such as the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup.
