Ice Cube Renovated for 2022 Winter Olympics

The iconic Beijing National Aquatics Center, also known as the Water Cube is being transformed into an “Ice Cube” for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

The water cube was mainly used for holding varieties of aquatic games such as swimming, diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. However, after the transformation the “Ice Cube” will meet the major demands of the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, as well as adding new functions of holding curling events and wheelchair curling events. A new underground ice field will also be built for ice sports. The renovation project will be officially completed by July, 2020.

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From “water” to “ice”

According to Yang Qiyong, the general manager of National Aquatics Center, a removable ice-making system will be built in the center of the competition venue, providing for four Olympic-standard curling rinks.

Apart from this, the renovation process of the venue will focus on five sections: the convertible system of the ice field, thermal and humid environment and the sports lighting of the curling field, as well as the comprehensive energy saving and the acoustics of the stadium. After the make over, the “Ice Cube” will be upgraded in terms of its functions as well as intelligence. The new intelligent building management system will effectively control and monitor the temperature, humidity, lighting, sound properties and other changes in the venue, providing a perfect environment for the curling competitions of the Winter Olympics.

Smart Construction

In terms of the construction of the renovation project, the person in charge of the construction unit said that the structure will be based on the Building Information Model (BIM) technology, combined with cloud computing, Internet of Things, mobile communications and other information technologies and equipment. The project will be green, smart, scientific as well as energy and cost efficient.

He also mentioned that the cloud platform management system would be used to realize the “visualization of management and materials stored in the Cloud”, and the new monitoring means will feature on-site comprehensive monitoring, work interconnection, information collaborative sharing, scientific analysis of decisions, and risk pre-control.

Featured photo credit to VisualChina