Qi Zhong Stadium, Shanghai: 2007 headquarters of the Tennis Masters Cup

It comes next week the Tennis Masters Cup and apart from working at full speed in the 8 terracotta sculptures of each player is getting close to the Qi Zhong stadium to host the annual competition of the sport more spectacular.

Produced by architect Mitsuru Senda was inaugurated in 2005 to play for three consecutive years, the precious cup. The building is 40 meters high, 30.649m2 surface and capacity for 15,000 people but what it highlights is its unique sliding roof and basa form a magnolia flower is typical of Shanghai. The structure consists of 8 "petals" and collectively take 8 minutes to open or close.

The stadium is situated in an area of more sports 20Km2 west of Shanghai, and includes residences for athletes and other sports facilities and is designed as a multipurpose structure adapted from basketball, ping pong, volleyball or gymnastics.

The rest of the tennis complex was completed in late 2006 and includes over 39 tracks, 17 of which are roofed. Was funded by the municipal government and the Qi Zhong group and insurance company promises to be a part of the XXI century flagship coliseums.