Football in Shenyang Olympic Center
This is one of the stadiums staging the preliminary football matches come Beijing 2008. As you can see, it’s also almost done!!!
Note: The stadium is located in Shenyang, a city north to Beijing.
Archive for December, 2006
Wrestling in Chinese Agricultural University Gymnasium
The wrestling competition of Beijing 2008 will be held in yet another brand new stadium - The Chinese Agricultural University Gymnasium.
Another beauty :). Well, here are some stats about the stadium: Location: China Agricultural University (East Campus)
Total land surface (sq. m.): 23,950
Seats: 6,000 permanent and 2,000 removable
Post-Games use: The gym will have a warm-up court and spaces for various sport competitions and large-scale activities, such as badminton, table tennis, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball, handball and indoor football matches.
Book your Hotels to Beijing 2008!!!
I went on a vacation during the weekend! Many things have happened since. One of the more important one is the following news!
Beijing 2008 Online Accommodation Booking Centre Announced
Posted 11:29 am ET (GamesBids.com)
The Beijing tourism administration said it will open an online accommodation booking centre on its website http://www.bjta.gov.cn before March for visitors going to the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The site will be linked to the official Beijing 2008 website, said Xiong Yumei, deputy director of the bureau.
The People’s Daily reports that the website will feature pictures of hotels and information in three languages – Chinese, English and French.
About 1,000 budget hotels providing 100,000 beds will be recommended on the site.
Xiong said, “in 2008 these budget hotels will be introduced in eight languages for the convenience of visitors”.
All the hotels must have service guides, signs, menus in Chinese and English, Internet connection in all rooms, and the ability for visitors to pay by credit card.
The tourism administration has named 134 star hotels in Beijing as “green hotels”. They have all passed the state standards which require the setting up of eco-friendly managerial systems and facilities, and the adoption of technology that conserves water, energy and reduces waste, reports People’s Daily.
About 500,000 international visitors are expected in Beijing during the Games and Xiong said she believed the city has the capacity to accommodate all the visitors.
Tunneling through the Four Seasons with the Olympic Subway Line
Beijing is building a new subway line to service the Olympic Park. There are altogether 4 stations with the 4 seasons as the theme for the line! The base color of the four stations will be red/back, yellow, blue and green respectively. The Olympic Subway Line is 4.398km long. Its theme is borrowed from the “rhythm of music”. Each station represents a fermata (rest) in a musical performance, while the tunnel between the stations represents a string of musical notes (the tunnel is decorated!). As the train moves through the four stations, the traveler will experience five different “music pieces” with each station being the end and the beginning of the next.
The “Pan-Island Panda Station” (literal translation, not official) has red and black as the main hue represent the passionate Summer; The Olympic Center Station is yellow signifying a brilliant Autumn. The Olympic Park Station is blue representing the expansive Winter; and lastly the Forest Station is green as hopeful Spring. In addition, the walls of the stations will be gray representing the continuity of the culture of Beijing.
P.S.: There will be water coolers in the stations (first in the Beijing Metro System). There will also be special access gates and lifts to facilitate people with disabilities.
Update on the Water Cube
Inside the Stadium
Roof Membrane Installation
The membrane installation of the National Aquatic Center (‘Water Cube’) is now 85% completed and is expected to be complete by the end of the year with the installation of the roof membranes.
The Chinese name for the ‘Water Cube’ is actually very interesting. It’s called 水立方, or “Where the Water Stands”. I thought that’s a very poetic name for the stadium!
The ETFE membrane is said to have the ability to “self-clean”. The surface of ETFE has anti-adhesion property that prevents dust from staying on the surface. Even when dust does get trapped, rain will be sufficient to wash the particles away. So when is human effort required for a wash? Well, when the infamous dust storm strucks!
The Water Cube will eventually have 3000 ETFE membranes of varying sizes and they function like air pillows. Are they strong enough? Well, apparently ETFE is able to withstand pressure better than other types of membrane. You can use it as trampoline! If a membrane is damaged, it will be replaced in 8 hours time. How is that possible? Well, Beijing already has facilities that manufacture this new age material! What’s more? These EFTE membranes ensure the use of sunlight as the source of ambient lighting in the stadium!
The exterior coat of the structure will be decorated with many white light spots. They are called galvanizing points. What’s their function? To regulate and enhance the luminosity, aesthetic and temperature of the stadium during the hot summer days when the Games are being played. I believe they also ensure that there’s not too much reflection and shadows into the building. It will be completed in Oct 2007.
Welcome to the stadium of the 21st Century :).