Korean Football Park by UNStudio

UNStudio completes Korean Football Association headquarters with two dedicated stadiums

Dutch firm UNStudio has completed the Korean Football Park, a sports venue and new home for the Korean Football Association in Cheonan, South Korea.

Designed to "serve athletes at the highest level while also giving football a broader civic presence", its facilities include two stadiums and 11 football fields alongside a sports museum and retail space.

Exterior view of the Korean Football Park
UNStudio has completed the Korean Football Park near Seoul

UNStudio organised the 450-square-metre campus into distinct zones in collaboration with advisors from the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam, creating a careful balance between private and publicly accessible spaces.

"The ordering of functions is very important in training complexes of this kind," said Henk Markerink, project advisor and former CEO of the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

Korean Football Park by UNStudio
It also serves as a new home for the Korean Football Association

"It requires a clear progression from public to private spaces, so we started by creating a public square with the museum and fan shop, using the stadium to create the feeling of entering a small city," he added.

"From that public entrance, you move deeper into the more semi-public and private areas of the complex."

Training area at sports campus by UNStudio
Its facilities include two stadiums and 11 football fields

At the centre of the Korean Football Park, an arterial road connects the campus' three key buildings – the indoor and outdoor stadiums and the museum.

Wrapped in aluminium louvres, the 1,500-seat outdoor stadium is enclosed on one side by a soft-edged steel shelter that opens up towards the players' accommodation opposite.

The stadium also houses the head office of the Korean Football Association (KFA) in a bid to promote integration around the complex.

"Bringing the global headquarters together with the outdoor stadium was an important design choice," UNStudio said. "It keeps decision-makers, coaches, players and fans closely connected in one place."

Indoor stadium by UNStudio
The indoor stadium is crowned with an arched glass roof structure

Behind this, the indoor stadium is distinguished by its arched glass roof structure. Both stadiums were designed by the studio for deconstruction and on-site rainwater collection.

Other spaces include healthcare facilities, youth accommodation, a women's training facility and a hotel, linked by roads that carve through the site.

Korean Football Park by UNStudio
Other spaces include healthcare facilities and a women's training facility

In other stadium news, Greek architecture firm K-Studio recently revealed plans to expand Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium in Athens.

Meanwhile in the UK, Brighton revealed plans for Europe's first purpose-built women's football stadium.

The photography is by Rohspace

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Masterplan of Korean Football Park
Masterplan
Korean Football Park by UNStudio
Korean Football Park by UNStudio
Korean Football Park by UNStudio
Korean Football Park by UNStudio
Korean Football Park by UNStudio
Korean Football Park by UNStudio
Korean Football Park by UNStudio
Korean Football Park by UNStudio