Stadium design should begin by establishing the intended use, competition objectives and facility category. These decisions determine the running track, field-event facilities, drainage and acceptance documentation. The classification framework discussed here divides competitions into 11 categories, each associated with one of five construction categories, I to V. Separately, the Chinese Athletics Association Regulations for the Acceptance of Athletics Facilities define five outdoor acceptance grades: Category I Grade A, Category I Grade B, Category II Grade A, Category II Grade B and Category III. Without a clear target, different disciplines may work to different design assumptions, producing a facility whose individual elements comply but whose overall functions do not fit together.
Positioning a 400 m track requires the measurement-line geometry, straight-track events, safety areas, field-event provision and drainage to work together. The cited reference identifies bend radii between 35.00 m and 38.00 m as suitable for a 400 m oval, with 36.50 m preferred and recommended for new standard-track construction. Checking the outside outline alone does not establish that the facility can perform its intended functions. Start and run-out areas, inner and outer safety spaces and the actual footprints of field-event facilities must be checked against the same geometric model.
The central task of a preconstruction survey is to verify the coordinate and elevation references, existing boundaries, underground infrastructure and drainage conditions, and turn them into constraints that designers can use. Ground investigation is especially important. The precise foundation layers and their thicknesses depend on the site. The cited manual calls for a comprehensive geotechnical investigation of the ground beneath the foundation, including strata at approximately 2.50 m depth, bearing capacity, shear resistance on vertical planes and permeability, with samples tested in a laboratory. Subsoil investigation should take place during design, before tendering and construction.