SEA Games stadium is Pinatubo crater-inspired

Responding to the challenge of a tight deadline in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games set to start on November 30 this year, Bases Conversion and Development Authority President and CEO Vivencio "Vince" Dizon announced the soft-launching of the Athletics Stadium within the New Clark City Sports Hub complex in Tarlac happening ahead of its time. It is almost completely done and is set to soft-open on August 31.

The Athletics Stadium, which sits on a footprint of 270,000 sqm. of land, was built inside the complex alongside the dormitories of the participating athletes and the Aquatics Stadium.

According to Dizon, the overall conceptual design of the stadium was inspired by the caldera of Mt. Pinatubo. It was designed by Royal Pineda of the BUDJI+ROYAL Architecture+Design firm.

"The idea is to make a sense of place where Mt. Pinatubo is deeply attached to the history of the people of Tarlac and the surrounding area," Dizon stated. "During the preliminary brainstorming of the project, we talk about creating something that reflects the story of the area," Dizon added.

A careful look of the stadium reveals colors and elements that resemble an erupting volcano where the main material coined by Royal Pineda as "lahar-finished" dominates the overall visual appearance of the stadium. "The lahar-finished is double-purpose. This is for the design element and for low maintenance where you don't need to paint them and leave them as is," explained Dizon.

The buttresses that serve as support resemble the lava flow where on the other hand, the bleachers, colored the same hues of orange resemble fire and magma inside an actual erupting volcano.

The stadium also offers state-of-the-art equipment where the newest technology was applied. There is no longer the stadium clock but a transponder sensor called RFID timing will be used for the athletes. This uses a radio-frequency identification which is attached to the athletes as it sends a signal carrying a unique code to radioreceivers scattered in the stadium area.

There are no standing posts inside the stadium that carries the lights but LED lights that consume less electricity are placed to hang in the catwalk of the canopy. This minimizes light pollution and allows for a more pleasurable experience of watching the games: There is no longer an impediment of the view to the center of the stadium, giving viewers a 180º-view of the whole interior.

"We went to see stadiums in London, Sydney, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and other countries to benchmark on the world-class quality of the facility. We got all the best technologies coming from these countries and tried to make an amalgam of a fantastic design from these ideas," said Dizon.

It is now Class 1A Athletics Facility Certified by the (IAAF) International Association of Athletics Federations.

The complex is also earthquake resistant, buildtby the standards of post-2015 Building Code where structures like these should have the earthquake tolerance of magnitude 7.  According to Dizon, the buildings in the vicinity, engineering-wise,  can withstand an 8.9 magnitude earthquake.

After the SEA games, Dizon stated that the complex will be privatized.It can become a multi-use facility and can become a national training center for Filipino athletes. Part of the plan of the New Clark City is building schools in the area where students can make use of the complex for their outdoor activities. — LA, GMA News