Coming Soon: Cost and pollution analysis of the Kaohsiung National Stadium
A Shy Beauty: The mostly unknown solar-powered stadium in Kaohsiung is the world's first
The landscape in Taiwan for green energy is quite welcoming, cropping up with many small installations due to government subsidies and incentives put in place in recent years[1]. None of these applications, however, compare to the majesty, beauty, and ingenuity that is the Kaohsiung National Stadium.
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| The Kaohsiung National Stadium is the proud owner of 8,844 solar panels producing 1.14 million kWh of electricity per year |
This incredible feat of engineering took the shape of a dragon with a sprawling tail and solar scales that reflect and absorb the light of Kaohsiung's sub-tropical fiery sun. Built for the 2009 World Games in only 2 years, the gorgeous stadium would have been a far more visible symbol if not for its similarity to Beijing's roughly concurrent "Bird's Nest" National Stadium, constructed in 2008 for the Olympics. Despite being, in my opinion the far more interesting of the two gorgeous stadiums, Taiwan's version was eclipsed by China's incredibly effective marketing campaign geared to show their rise into world prominence (and possibly also by the lack of a good brand name; "Fiery Death From Above Stadium" anyone?).
The construction of these two buildings is very mysterious if you ignore the context in which they were built: the preparation for a one-time international sporting event. Unlike the west, Asia does not have any sports that consistently draw crowds large enough to fill stadiums of this size, Kaohsiung's and Beijing's having 40,000 and 80,000 seats respectively. Sports like soccer and American football regularly fill stadiums with capacities ranging anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 seats, justifying their construction economically. The Bird's Nest and the Kaohsiung National Stadium rarely pull crowds over 10,000 and have both become more of a tourist attraction than a functional arena.[2]
The question of whether these are simply for show seems to already be answered, but the Kaohsiung National Stadium's powerplant moonlighting, constantly feeding energy into the grid when it's not being used, begs a closer look. The Bird's Nest employs a few interesting green twists of its own with passive geothermal energy easing heating and cooling costs and a rainwater collection, filtration, and distribution system[3], the latter presumably using a massive quantity of energy. These measures may make a difference in its sustainability as an economic enterprise and its viability as green architecture, particularly the passive geothermal, but this article will focus on the more bold of these two visions. In a world where solar is still looked down upon as an economically unfeasible pipe dream likely ready only after the year 2050, the Kaohsiung stadium's solar production is an economically daring and risky move and makes a statement as a building that actively serves its function and passively feeds the grid.
More Marketable Names for the Kaohsiung National Stadium
Serious Name: "Sun Dragon" Stadium
Hippy Name: "Peace Dragon Warm Earth" Stadium
American Suck-up Name: "Fiery Death From Above" Stadium
Not-So-Subtle Reference Name: "Dragon-Eats-Bird" Stadium
Submit your own!
References:
[1]http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2009/06/14/212192/Taiwan-green.htm
[2]http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/22/world/fg-beijing-bust22
[3]http://en.beijing2008.cn/cptvenues/venues/nst/headlines/n214370877.shtml
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