Taichung Arena on track for completion in 2030: City gov't

Taichung, Oct. 18 (CNA) The Taichung Arena is nearly 20 percent complete and remains on track to be finished in 2030, the Taichung City government said Sunday.

The project had been scheduled to be 15 percent complete by now. Underground excavation has finished, and construction is entering the main structural phase, the city's Construction Bureau said in a press release.

Located in Taichung's Beitun District, the arena was designed jointly by Japanese and Taiwanese architects. Construction began on June 1, 2024, after years of planning.

Covering about 6.95 hectares, the complex will have four basement levels, a four-story main arena and a three-story secondary arena, the bureau said.

The main arena is designed to seat about 15,500 spectators, and the secondary arena about 3,000, it added.

The main arena will host international sporting events such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, tennis, futsal and martial arts competitions, as well as concerts, exhibitions and other large-scale events. The secondary arena will be used for athletes' warm-ups and training, as well as for smaller performances and exhibitions.

The complex will also incorporate acoustic design, rainwater recycling and an energy-saving design, the bureau said, adding that an elevated open-air walkway linking the two venues will include walking and running paths, and a rooftop garden is also planned.

The city government has said the project is intended to meet central Taiwan's demand for a large indoor sports and entertainment venue, complementing existing facilities in northern and southern Taiwan.

The Taichung Arena is separate from the planned Taiwan Dome (台灣超巨蛋), a much larger indoor baseball stadium for which the city signed a build-operate-transfer agreement on Friday. Initial plans call for the dome to seat at least 45,000 spectators and to include commercial facilities, hotels and space for major events.