View of the National Indoor Stadium from above

(BEIJING, November 26) -- Pierre de Coubertin rekindled the Olympic Flame in 1896, and since then, the modern Olympics has gone through 111 years of history. During this time, the Olympic Games has traveled the world over, becoming the greatest paragon of sports culture.

The Olympic Games has also given the world a legacy of architecture in the various cities that have served as the host for the Games.

Beginning with the first modern Olympic venue -- the White City Stadium, built especially for the London 1908 Olympic Games -- the Olympic venues have developed into a means for the host nation to show the world its cultural charms.

And now, just a little over a century after the first Olympiad, the National Indoor Stadium of the 2008 Olympic Games has been delivered for use.

Located in the southern part of the Olympic Green, the National Indoor Stadium joins the group of landmark structures in the area, including the National Aquatics Center to the south and the National Convention Center to the north. The stadium consists of a main structure and a warm-up gym nearby and other outdoor facilities, with an overall building area of 80,900 square meters. The seating capacity of the National Indoor Stadium is 18,000. The outdoor landscaping and roadways occupy an area of 44,000 square meters.

The National Indoor Stadium will be the competition venue for the Olympic Artistic Gymnastics, Trampoline, and Handball competitions and the Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball competition. On November 28, the venue will welcome the Good Luck Beijing 2007 Artistic Gymnastics International Invitational Tournament, and from November 30, 2007, to January 25, 2008, the stadium will successively hold the Good Luck Beijing sport events for trampoline, handball, and wheelchair basketball.

The creative design of the National Indoor Stadium resembles an unfurled traditional Chinese folding fan. The Chinese say that a folding fan holds a deep level of cultural detail; it is a component of Chinese culture. And the National Indoor Stadium embodies the charm of traditional Chinese architecture.

The steel roof truss of the National Indoor Stadium stretches 144 meters tall and 114 meters wide. The frame is composed of 14 steel beams weighing a total of 2,800 tons.

According to assistant general manager Shen Yongshan of Guoao Investment, the owner of the stadium, this is the longest spanning indoor, bi-directional truss string structure in China at present. The structure meets structural design elements in terms of aesthetics, safety and reliability in bearing weight, and cost.

The steel roof truss was installed using nine robots. The construction workers relied on the robots to move and join the steel truss beams.

Glass curtain wall with hidden solar photovoltaic system

A 19,000-sq-m glass curtain wall, made up of a visible frame glass curtain wall, a point support glass curtain wall, and aluminum glass, covers the National Indoor Stadium. All of the glass is Low-emissivity (Low-E) glass, which provides insulation and improves energy efficiency by reducing the transfer of heat through the glass. Low-E glass also acts as a filter for ultra-violet rays.

Behind the glass curtain wall lies a hidden solar photovoltaic system that uses 1,124 solar panels, each measuring 120 cm X 50 cm. The solar panels have a peak power output of 90 watts.

According to Shen, photovoltaic solar energy is a clean, renewable energy resource that has become an important development among the world's new energies. He explains that the solar panels absorb photons from sunlight and transport the photons to conversion equipment in an energy production control room in the stadium's basement. The equipment then converts the photons into energy and sends the electricity back to the grid system.

The solar panels are able to produce 100 kilowatts of energy per day, which can be used to light the stadium during the day, reducing the stress on the state grid system.

Full view of the National Indoor Stadium

Sound insulating qualities

In terms of noise insulation, the National Indoor Stadium uses a 25-cm, nine-layer multi-functional design composed of cement planks, glass fiber, a waterproof layer, and sound-insulating materials, topped off with a sound-insulating outer coating.

The Low-E glass curtain wall is made of double-layer glass, which not only provides heat insulation but also reduces noise. And the air conditioning equipment is specially designed to contain noise.

According to chief project engineer Zhang Guoqiang, the National Indoor Stadium will serve as a top-grade artistic performance venue after the Games, so acoustics and sound insulation are important considerations.

This multi-layer design will solve the problem faced by many of the Olympic venues -- that of noise from falling rain, he added.

Steel roof truss of the National Indoor Stadium

Taking full advantage of renewable energy resources

The stadium takes full advantage of renewable energy resources through a water pump heating system, fresh air ventilation, and natural lighting.

In addition, the public area of the stadium uses water-permeable material to allow rainwater to seep into the ground. And rainwater collected on the rooftop will also be reused.

Glass curtain wall

Silent gray seats with advertising

According to Shen Yongshan, the spectator seats were made-to-order specifically for the stadium, and the seats are not only comfortable but also noise-free. The seatbacks also have a special place for sponsor advertisements.

Wheelchair accessibility

The National Indoor Stadium includes a dedicated, 300-sq-m seating area to accommodate 250-300 wheelchair users.

In addition, wheelchair users can take a designated elevator directly to the seating area.

Exterior view of the National Indoor Stadium

Eight tons of steel scraps "hidden" in groundsill

Shen revealed that eight tons of steel scraps are from the construction are buried below the base of the stadium. The 35,000-sq-m area beneath the stadium foundation was produced from processed steel scraps. This reuse of material and conservation method fully reflects the spirit of a "Green Olympics," he added.

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