Kai Tak Sports Park

About the project

Kai Tak Sports Park, which opened in March 2025, is a 28-hectare urban oasis nestled in a parkland setting with the city’s iconic Lion Rock as its backdrop. The Sports Park is the centrepiece development within the overall Kai Tak New Development Area. The brief was to regenerate the prime area of land that was formerly Kai Tak Airport with a new sports and entertainment precinct.
We brought architecture, brand, interior, landscape and wayfinding experts from Hong Kong and across Asia and Australia to deliver the 28-hectare city shaping Sports Park, which is now the world’s window to the city’s major events.
We were tasked with developing the masterplan for the Sports Park, integrating high-quality sports venues with retail, wellness, recreational and community spaces to foster a user-friendly environment. Beyond that, the stunning 50,000-seat Stadium is intended to put Hong Kong firmly on the map as a global centre for major international events.
The South Terrace at Kai Tak Stadium offers an event platform that allows spectators to immerse themselves in the action. The impressive glass curtain wall provides panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and seamlessly connects the stadium to the city's vibrant landscape.
With the Sports Park being one of the largest of its type anywhere, and the world’s largest community use sports development in such a densely populated city, it is also the world’s most integrated sport and entertainment development.
Embracing Hong Kong's growth and evolution, the Sports Park needed to showcase cutting-edge sports facilities while enriching the city's lifestyle and community offerings.
It is therefore purpose-designed to host an extensive portfolio of international, regional, and local events, as well as a full range of community activities, supporting the Government’s aims to promote sports in the community, champion elite sports, and enhance Hong Kong’s reputation as a centre for major international sports events, as well as promote professional sport and developing sports as an industry in the city.
Within Kai Tak Sports Park, cutting-edge sports venues sit alongside retail, wellness and recreational facilities including outdoor ball courts, open lawn areas, children’s play areas, fitness stations, a bowling centre, retail, and food and beverage outlets.
Kai Tak Stadium is the focal point of the Park, a breathtaking centrepiece. Affectionately known as the "Pearl of the Orient" for its striking architectural design, its 27,000-panel exterior glimmers with a pearlescent form making it an instantly recognizable and iconic landmark. Also, part of the Park, the Kai Tak Arena is a large multipurpose space, and, with most of its 10,000 seats retractable or removable, it is not only suitable for hosting major competitions but will also provide many indoor sports courts for community use.
The other major sports venue is the 5,000-seat KaKai Tak Youth Sports Ground suitable for hosting various sports.

Populous

The design team addressed the project aspirations and brief for hosting a wide range of international events and community sport at Kai Tak Sports Park. Our key design focus centres on enhancing the experience for both the fans during event days, and the community on a day-to-day basis.
Fostering, supporting, and growing the vibrancy of the site was essential within our design. We achieved this by creating active edges to the facilities and increasing accessibility throughout the precinct. A key feature of the design is the linear connection, Kai Tak Sports Avenue, which runs the entire length of the site. The connections provide clarity and accessibility at both an urban and human scale, linking all venues within the masterplan, the neighbouring sites and integrating dynamic community nodes.
Whilst buildings like Kai Tak Stadium serve as anchors for the project, the design emphasises creating a journey through the Sports Park. This journey is enhanced by the destination points.