Going to the Summer Olympics? Check out Beijing’s “Water Cube” [H20]3

The National Aquatics Centre, known as “The Water Cube,” will beone of the most dramatic and exciting venues to feature sportingevents during the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Built alongside theBeijing National Stadium in the Olympic Green, it will be the venuefor swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polofinals.The design concept of the “water cube” ([H2O]³) combines thesymbolism of architecture with a unique water bubble structure. TheWater Cube, which adopts an ETFE pneumatic die cushion structure,is the world’s largest membrane structure.

It does more than look cool, however. The 100,000 square meters ofthe Teflon-like translucent plastic ETFE that make up the building’sbubble cladding allow in more solar heat than glass, making iteasier to heat the building, and resulting in a 30 percent reductionin energy costs. That’s especially important for a swimming pool,which requires an enormous amount of heating.Water is, naturally, also a focus of the building’s sustainabilityefforts. A rainwater collection system gathers 10,000 cubic metersof the wet stuff each year, while a recycling system reuses 80% ofthe building’s water. That’s crucial in drought-plagued Beijing, whichhas less water per person than Israel.Indeed, the Water Cube serves as the symbolic centerpiece of theOlympic committee’s “Green Olympics” campaign. Altogether the Olympic venues are said to have a combined 121 water-efficiencyprojects, saving a total of over 1 million tons of water per year, andfeature a plethora of energy-efficient measures like solar panelsand light piping that help the buildings exceed new national energystandards.But even if the “Green Olympics” are a green wash -- and someOlympic teams aren’t taking their chances -- the Water Cube willlikely stand out as a luminous model of green design, and one thatwon’t fade with the closing ceremonies.So, if you have a chance to visit Beijing, you may want to visit theWater Cube, a flagship Olympic venue and a significant engineeringachievement!