Natatorium of Southeast University Sports Centre

The arch as architectural symbol carries profound associations with threshold crossing, celestial vaulting, and aspirational reaching toward transcendent realms, and Qi Zhou's Natatorium deploys this archetypal form with purposeful resonance that transforms functional sports infrastructure into meaningful spatial experience. The pointed parabolic profile specifically invokes Gothic architectural heritage, where the pointed arch represented both structural innovation and spiritual aspiration, the upward thrust directing consciousness toward elevated states. The serial repetition of these forms creates visual rhythm suggesting processional movement, a spatial sequencing traditionally associated with ceremonial progression and transformative journey. The terracotta roofing material carries deep symbolic associations with earth, craft, and regional identity, the fired clay representing human mastery over elemental transformation while maintaining connection to ground and place. The chromatic dialogue between warm earth tones and cool mineral grays may suggest reconciliation between terrestrial and celestial realms, between bodily athletic endeavor and elevated human achievement. Water, the essential programmatic element within this natatorium, carries universal symbolic associations with purification, renewal, and liminal transition, and the architecture's cathedral-like expression perhaps acknowledges swimming's meditative and transformative qualities. The biophilic integration of bamboo and mature trees activates symbolic frameworks relating to growth, resilience, and the beneficial interpenetration of natural and constructed environments. The curved terminations at each arch base suggest welcoming gesture, the architectural equivalent of an open palm inviting entry and participation in the activities within.

The Natatorium of Southeast University is located on the Jiulonghu Campus. The design uses continuous arches to eliminate the sense of alienation from the volume, like a flower, woven together in 7 repeating forms. Fluid water, moving people and static buildings, gray concrete and blue water, sunlight refracted by louvers, and shadows formed by geometry, all of which stimulate a strong sense of place. The structure is in line with the mechanical requirements, and the facade uses a large area of glazing, which forms an interaction between behaviors and sights of the people inside and outside.