The winning master plan for the international competition will see more than three million square meters (320 million square feet) of built space added to the city of Nanjing including Olympic sports venues, exhibition centers and athlete’s accommodations.

The Populous plan includes public buildings that will be illuminated like lanterns for the Youth Games.

Images that showcase the lantern concept have been released for the first time today.

Populous was able to draw upon considerable experience in delivering sustainable master planning for other Olympic sites which include the ongoing London 2012 Olympic Park, Sochi 2014 Olympic Park, and seven other Olympic Games.

Populous also has participated in the planning and staging of 26 Super Bowls and six World Cups for football, rugby and cricket.

"We’re honoured to have played a part over 400 special event venues and the vast majority of the world’s great sporting competitions over the past 20 years," said Populous Senior Principal Jerry Anderson.

"Starting with the 1996 Atlanta Olympics we’ve come to understand all facets of master planning for special events and the increasing importance of urban planning to leave a lasting and positive legacy."

Ashley Munday, Principal of the master planning team for the Nanjing submission. claimed that legacy would be at the forefront of their plans for the Chinese city.

"Our primary brief was to create a lasting legacy for the city of Nanjing following the Youth Olympics in 2014," he said.

"The master plan was designed with the long term development of the city in mind and the Olympic Games have been carefully positioned to inhabit the new city rather than retrofit a legacy.

"Nanjing will literally light up for the Games, highlighting the city as the host of the Games."

The initial build will see over 400,000 square meters (4.3 million square feet) of new built space completed ahead of 2014 for the Youth Olympic Games, and the full master plan will see this figure grow to three million square meters (32 million square feet) over a longer period. 

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