Buildings whose red facades represent 'phoenix bloodstones' could feature at the athletes' village for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, as part of a scheme by Benthem Crouwel Architects and Powerhouse Company.

Phoenix bloodstones are a type of precious gemstone local to the region.

The village would be built on land recently reclaimed from the sea and has been dubbed ‘Sponge City’, because of a vast rainwater collection and storage system designed to run through the development.

Daniel Jongtien, partner at Benthem Crouwel, explains how stone and water came to define the design, saying: "The power of water, and its capacity to polish rough stones to shiny gems, became a leading theme. In our work, we aim to combine rational considerations with a strong storyline that resonates well within the Chinese context."

The designers created the concept in collaboration with landscape architects SMARTLAND and Chinese firm UAD.

A youth activity centre would provide a creative space for the city’s younger generations, while a library, museum and music performance centre are also included in the proposal’s legacy offering. The development would cover a total area of 125,000sq m.

'Sponge City' is one of six competition entries being considered for the Asian Games, with other submissions coming from AS+P, SO-IL, NEXT Architects, Jadric Architektur and Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.

A winner is due to be announced in September 2018.