National Tennis Center Landscape Design Project

The National Tennis Center is located in Beijing’s Olympic Forest Park, covering an area of 16.68 hectares. It was completed in 2008 and is one of the professional sports venues for tennis in the Beijing Olympics. After the Beijing 2008 Olympics, it became the permanent main venue for the China Open tennis tournament. In 2021, the organizers, based on the goal of hosting an event, promoting a sport, and serving a city, integrated the development of the event into the new development pattern of the capital. They initiated a comprehensive upgrade of the National Tennis Center.
Before the redesign, the operations of the China Open and the venue were independent of each other, lacking effective connections between the various venues, and the utilization of resources needed improvement, with the full potential of the center not being fully explored. After the redesign, sports and arts, competition and life are interconnected, with a new South Plaza built and the West Plaza renovated, giving the entire center a fresh new look.
The newly transformed South Plaza serves as the ticketing, gathering, and sponsor exhibition area during tournaments. It is the core main plaza of the center, complementing the “Ice Ribbon” of the Winter Olympics Speed Skating Arena. With a design that integrates tennis elements into the space, interactive fountains, slope exhibition platforms on both sides, and a combination of skateboarding entertainment areas, a vibrant new space has been created.
After the completion of the renovation, the West Plaza now features three small pergolas, creating a semi-enclosed space. The highlight of the upgrade is the “Midcourt Ring” adjacent to the Brad Drewett Stadium, reportedly the largest double-curved landscape pergola in North China. During events, the West Plaza will be filled with outdoor dining, commercial retail, and leisure booths, creating a relaxed atmosphere for visitors. During non-event periods, the plaza can host small frisbee competitions, urban camping parties, outdoor movie screenings, and small concerts. In summary, the West Plaza will become more leisurely and inclusive.
The inherent attributes of the sports venues have prompted us to reconsider how to build the functional complexity of the site during and after matches. We aim to create a sports park complex driven by tennis culture. During events, it will be a “capital and international sports and cultural exchange business card, a joyful carnival for tennis enthusiasts,” while non-event times will see it transform into an “internationally renowned tennis-themed park, a smart technology outdoor tennis museum.” We aim to integrate it into the future urban sports and leisure life from a full life cycle perspective, making it a link between sports and commercial leisure, endowing the sports venues with unique public service value.