Watercube in Beijing 2008

The National Aquatics Centre in Beijing, China - known as “The Water Cube” - for obvious reasons, is now complete. The Water Cube will feature aquatic events for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The building’s structural design, which is based on the natural formation of soap bubbles to give a random, organic appearance, used research undertaken by Weaire and Phelan (professors of physics) into how soap bubbles might be arranged in an infinite array.

To bring the design to life, the individual bubbles were incorporated into a plastic film and tailored like a sewing pattern. An entire section is pieced together and then put into place within the structure. There are interior and exterior films, and the film was then inflated in-situ.

Arup is the consultancy company that designed the project.

Photos of the exterior during construction:

Photos of the interior during construction :

Published by Global Construction Watch on February 28, 2008 in beijing and china

 베이징 올림필 관련 건축물을 보다가 좀 특이하다 싶어 가져와봤습니다.
 건축을 전공하지 않아서 무식한 소리를 하는 걸 수도 있는데 이런 구조는 하중을 어떻게 견딜지 매우 궁금하네요.
 저 버블의 프레임이 서로 맞물리면서 분산되는건가? ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ ㅡㅡ;
 그리고 외장재가 플라스틱 필름이라는데 어떤 특수 플라스틱일지 모르겠지만 햇볕을 계속 받으면 변할꺼 같은데 나중에 유지보수는 어떻게 할라하는지 매우 궁금하네요. 이것 역시 무식한 발언일수도 있겠네요. ㅋ