Populous completes Main Stadium for the 2014 Incheon Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea

Since winning the competition in 2009, global sports and entertainment firm Populous recently marked the full construction of the Main Stadium for the 2014 Incheon Asian Games -- officially known as the XVII Asiad. Taking place in Incheon, South Korea starting September 19 until October 4, the Asiad is Asia's biggest sporting event and is governed by the Olympic Council of Asia.

Designing iconic stadiums is typical for Populous, who designed the Fisht Olympic Stadium for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Check out renderings and details of the project below.

Project description:

"The stadium for the 17th  global architects Populous in association with local firm Heerim Architects and Planners and illustrates a new level of   sustainable design in stadia in Asia.  

The multipurpose stadium will hold 60,000 people during the Games will reduce down to a single sided grandstand for 30,000 afterwards as a People’s Park for the city of Incheon." 

"Legacy and sustainability were the driving factors in designing the stadium in Incheon.

Populous Senior Principal Andrew James: 'We wanted to take a fresh look at the way we treat adaptable stadia in Incheon. Rather than considering how we could shrink a 60,000 seat stadium, we turned the idea on its head and thought let’s build a 30,000 seat stadium and add 30,000 temporary seats.

This approach provided multiple advantages. Financially it reduced the building by two thirds meaning there are  substantial savings in operational and maintenance costs. Secondly, it meant the permanent seats could be sited in the optimal position for these sports, in this instance, in the West stand.'"

'''But the biggest advantage in the design is the freedom it provided in terms of legacy. The plans were always based on a community park, which after the Games, will replace the Eastern stand, forming a traditional stadium hill, with plazas on the north and south ends, providing atmospheric spectator viewing during a match, and a green space for the public to enjoy at all other times.'"