Building a reputation in sporting excellence
Singapore is a well-connected and highly developed city state. By investing in a flexible sporting and cultural hub, its government hoped to build the country’s reputation internationally and inspire both grassroots participation and national excellence in sport. Within easy reach of the city centre and international airport, Singapore Sports Hub is key to the city's urban development plan and central to its vision for a recreation, entertainment, heritage and sustainable precinct for a healthy and active population.
Arup led the stadium architecture, masterplanning and engineering on what would become Asia’s first integrated sport, leisure and lifestyle development, putting the spectacular new Singapore national stadium at its heart.
Project Summary
55,000 capacity with three modes of retractable seating
310mthe world’s largest freestanding dome
100%Energy used offset by renewable sources
“I have seen what the vision can be. I am just so thrilled that this vision can be delivered in Singapore. The beauty of this project means we have the validity to compete with the world in certain areas but at the same time be very relevant for the domestic market. ” Oon Jin Teik, CEO Singapore Sports Hub (Former)
Designing a state-of the-art leisure venue
Our vision was for a vibrant leisure destination for spectators and competitors alike – sustainable, cost-effective, fun and most importantly, connected to the city and its community. These combined goals would go on to inform our approach to the design and engineering of what is a highly functional piece of public architecture.
The user experience came first. The elegant, energy-efficient dome structure is the largest of its kind in the world, developed using our bespoke parametric bowl generation software. It provides shelter from Singapore’s humid tropical climate as well as an awe-inspiring event space that reinforces the acoustic energy of the crowd.
At ground level we designed a system to deliver cool air to every seat in the stadium, using carbon neutral ventilation. When the retractable roof extends, the stunning city skyline appears, allowing the venue to send the cheers of its supporters out over the water to central Singapore, an open design that allows the stadium to ‘talk' to the city.
Too many stadiums end up proving cost at the outset then underused, an issue we were determined to avoid. Our moving tier design means the venue can adjust its seating to accommodate a multitude of events ranging from cricket and football to concerts.
“The National Stadium is really the hub of the Sports Hub. We wanted to create an icon of the dome roof which people can identify with elite sport but also a place where the community is going to love coming to for non-sporting events and at the same time enjoy using the facilities of the wider precinct. For us, connecting the stadium back to the city was an important consideration. The open design allows the stadium to 'talk' to the city. ” See Lin Ming Principal | Buildings – Singapore Leader
A lasting impact for Singapore, delivered with award-winning architecture
Singapore Sports Hub now plays a critical role in building a sustainable and competitive advantage for the nation’s sports and entertainment tourism industry. The Hub hosted 212 events in 2019 and had an annual footfall of 15 million people within 3 years of opening.
The success of this project was made possible through our Total Architecture approach – the integration of Arup’s architecture, master planning, sports design, structural and environmental design experts, working as one team with our partners and collaborators. It has been recognised by several major awards including ‘Sports Building of the Year’ at the World Architecture Festival (WAF), and also holds a Guinness World Record for the stadium’s dome.
Ultimately, it provides an integral bridge to Singapore’s community, with opportunities to create and deliver the extraordinary experiences that bind us together - be it as a competitor, a participant or a spectator.


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