Water Cube Opens To Media

image credit: angus_mac_123

The Beijing National Aquatics Centre (the “Water Cube”), will host the aquatic events at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Last week the facility opened to the media.

It stands in the Olympic Green, beside the future Beijing National Stadium (a.k.a. the “Birds Nest”, for good reason).

The Water Cube was designed and constructed by a consortium including engineering group Ove Arup, architects PTW (of Palm Island, Dubai fame), the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) and the CSCEC Shenzhen Design Institute. The internal structure is a steel space frame based on the geometry of soap and water bubbles. Its surface is covered in thin pillows of Ethylene TetrafluoroEthylene (ETFE), a kind of flourocarbon-based polymer plastic designed for strength and corrosion resistance (also used on the Allianz Arena in Germany and the Eden Project complex in the UK). The skin is designed to react dramatically to lighting and projection.

IMAGES [photos from opening] (Xinhua) IMAGES [construction photos] (Flickr) IMAGES [early construction (including stadium), workers] (Flickr)

LINK/IMAGES [good overview and history] (Sports Venue Technology) ARTICLE [Beijing National Aquatics Centre] (Wikipedia)

Related:

IMAGES [Beijing 2008 photo pool] (Flickr) LINK/IMAGES [official Beijing 2008 venue overview]

Previously: High Rise China / 10 Wonders of the New China