Built to last

By SHI FUTIAN in Chengdu

Chengdu goes all-in on sustainability with eco-friendly, cutting-edge venues designed to stand the test of time

Smart, green and sustainable. The state-of-the-art venues at the Chengdu FISU World University Games aim to provide participants with the best possible competition environments. More importantly, the venues will continue to benefit the local community long after the conclusion of the global sports gala.

Among the 49 venues of the games, which kicked off on Friday, 36 have been renovated, while the remaining 13 newbuilds have been designed and constructed with sustainability a top priority.

The Chengbei Gymnasium, one of Chengdu's most iconic sports venues, is typical of how the city is utilizing existing facilities. Built in 1973, the gymnasium boasts a floor area of over 20,000 square meters. It will serve as the competition and training venue for wushu (Chinese martial arts) at the World University Games.

The venue was a roofless, open-air stadium in the 1970s, mostly used by locals for playing basketball. Through the years, the gymnasium has undergone several renovations, while it has also staged music concerts and even housed an electronics market in the 1990s.

The Chengbei Gymnasium, one of Chengdu's most iconic sports venues, is typical of how the city is utilizing existing facilities. Built in 1973, the gymnasium boasts a floor area of over 20,000 square meters. It will serve as the competition and training venue for wushu (Chinese martial arts) at the World University Games.

The venue was a roofless, open-air stadium in the 1970s, mostly used by locals for playing basketball. Through the years, the gymnasium has undergone several renovations, while it has also staged music concerts and even housed an electronics market in the 1990s.

Over the past decade, the Chengbei Gymnasium has doubled as a venue for professional sports events and a place for residents to play sports such as table tennis and badminton. Organizers of the World University Games say the gym will reopen to the public after the games.

"The Chengbei Gymnasium is just like a very old friend to the local people. I'm happy to see it become a venue for the World University Games. It's like an old friend but with very new energy," said Liu Linglin, a staff member at the gym.

"Now the schedule is very busy, and there are so many things for us to deal with during the competitions. We just need to finish our own individual jobs and serve the event as best as possible. That's our responsibility."

To better cater to modern sports competitions, the University Games venues have been outfitted with high-tech equipment.

For instance, the basketball venue at Fenghuangshan Sports Park boasts a state-of-the-art operational system, which provides a live feed of the venue's temperature, humidity, hydraulic pressure and lighting metrics. The system is designed to enhance the efficiency of staff and reduce energy consumption.

"In the old times, staff at the sports venues could only use handwritten charts to check and record the various operational data one by one inside a venue. Now with this system, we can monitor all the information at once on the live feed," said Wei Tianyou, who is in charge of facility operations and maintenance at Fenghuangshan Sports Park.

One of the system's biggest advantages is the reduction in the savings it delivers.

"It helps us to reduce energy consumption by up to 15 percent. The system can detect the number of people inside the venue in real-time, and based on that, can adjust the air-conditioning.

"Moreover, based on our actual operational experience, the system helps increase the efficiency of facility operations by about 20 percent.

"It also prolongs the life cycle of equipment by 20 percent and reduces the operational cost of the venue by 30 percent."

Shuangliu Sports Center is another venue set to benefit from a high-tech upgrade, undergoing a comprehensive transformation to host athletics and badminton.

"In terms of the center's gymnasium, where the badminton will be staged, the current facilities and equipment meet the standards of major international sports events. Because it was built in 2008, there were quite a lot of things that needed to be upgraded, such as the floors, lights and cables," said Yu Jian, who is in charge of the gymnasium at the center.

Meanwhile, the equipment at the center's main stadium, which will host athletics competitions, has also been refurbished to host the world's best student-athletes.

When not hosting major events, the sports center is a popular spot for locals to exercise.

"My home is very close to the sports center, so I come here almost every day to exercise. The venues here are mostly free, while some only charge us a little," local resident He Shiquan told Xinhua News Agency.

"I'm so proud that my hometown is the host of the World University Games. We are proud to welcome student-athletes from around the world."

The games have triggered a wave of sports enthusiasm in Chengdu. Since April, the Shuangliu district, where the sports center is located, hosted a series of grassroots sports activities, including hiking, running and cycling. After the games, the sports center will once again be open to the public.

"The University Games create such a great sports atmosphere in our city. It is such an energetic and exciting sports event. I hope I'll have a chance to watch the action in the stands and to cheer for the student-athletes from all over the world," local resident Wang Xiling told Xinhua.

（CHINADAILY）