Beijing National Aquatics Centre

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The Bejing National Aquatics Centre also called the Water Cube

The Beijing National Aquatics Centre, also known as the Water Cube (or abbreviated [H₂O]³ [1]), is an aquatics centre that is currently being built alongside Beijing National Stadium in the Olympic Green for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Ground was broken on December 24, 2003.

1 Architecture
2 Olympics
3 Awards
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Architecture

The Water Cube was initially designed by PTW Architects from Sydney, Australia and CSCEC International Design and Arup with structural Engineers Arup conceiving the structure. The strucutre was built by CSCEC (China State Construction Enginering Corporation). Comprised of a steel spaceframe, it the largest ETFE clad structure in the world with over 100,000 m² of ETFE pillows that are only eight one-thousandths of an inch in total thickness,^[1] The ETFE cladding allows more light and heat penetratino than traditional glass resulting in a 30% decrease in energy costs^[1].

The Water Cube employs water as a structural and thematical "leitmotiv" with the square, the primal shape of the house in Chinese tradition and mythology. The structure of the watercube is based on a unique, lightweight construction, developed by Arup and CSCEC with PTW, and derived from the the structure of water in the state of aggregation of FOAM as deduced by Weaire and Phelan of Trinity College, Dublin. Behind the apparently random appearance hides a strict geometry found in natural systems such as crystals, cells and molecular structures. By applying novel materials and technology, the transparency and randomness is transposed into the inner and outer skins of ETFE cushions. Unlike traditional stadium structures with gigantic columns, beams, cables and backspans, to which a facade system is applied, in the watercube design the architectural space, structure and facade are one and the same element. Conceptually the square box and the interior spaces are carved out of an undefined cluster of foam bubbles, symbolizing a condition of nature that is transformed into a condition of culture. The appearance of the aquatic centre is a "cube of water molecules" - the WATERCUBE. In combination with the main stadium by Herzog de Meuron, a duality between fire and water, male and female, Yin and Yang is being created with all its associated tensions/attractions.

watercube

The structure will have a capacity of 17,000^[1]during the games that will be reduced to 6,000 afterwards. It also has a total land surface of 65,000 square metres and will cover a total of 7.8 acres^[1].

[edit] Olympics

The Aquatics Centre will host the Swimming, Diving, Synchronized Swimming, and Water Polo events during the Olympics.

[edit] Awards

Quote from the Jury report of the Official Awards 9th International Architecture Exhibition - METAMORPH, Venice Biennale "The special award for the most accomplished work in the section Atmosphere is awarded to the Australian architecture firm PTW Architects , CSCEC + Design and Arup for the project National Swimming Centre, Beijing Olympic Green, China. The project demonstrates in a stunning way, how the deliberate morphing of molecular science, architecture and phenomenology can create an airy and misty atmosphere for a personal experience of water leisure". chris bosse

2004 - Venice Biennale - Award for most accomplished work Atmosphere section^[2]
2006 - Popular Science Best of what's new 2006 in engineering^[1]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e arup.com (2006), "Best of What's New 2006 - Engineering", Popular Science 269(6): 84-85
^ PTW Projects:Watercube-National Swimming Center. Retrieved on December 6, 2006.