The Water Cube is located in the Olympic Green

The Water Cube is located in the Olympic Green, the focal point for the Beijing Games. The design was voted as the clear winner by the people of China in a competition for their favourite design. The square shape of the Water Cube is a reflection of the Chinese symbol for Earth, while the adjacent circular form of the National Stadium, also design-engineered by Arup, represents Heaven.

The form of the Aquatics Centre was inspired by the natural formation of soap bubbles. Arup’s engineers realised that a structure based on this unique geometry would be highly repetitive and buildable while appearing organic and random. The result is a very simple regular building form, with very complex geometry in the fa?ade which is used for beautiful effect.
The National Aquatics Center, also known as Water Cube, was built in Olympic Green as the main venue for the swimming competition of the 2008 Summer Olympics. It is also a landmark project in the 2008 Olympics. The design of the Water Cube was derived from the victorious proposal in the international architectural competition for the aquatics center project. It started on December 24th 2003 and completed on January 28th 2008.
The membrane structure of Water Cube has been unparalleled in the world. It is based on the constitution of cells and natural formation of soap bubbles. The originality is pretty vagarious. The wall and proof of Water Cube both has 3 layers and it comprises a steel space frame by over 30000 steel structural members. None of the two are placed identically, which is China’s self-renovation, filling a blank in the history of Architecture. In Chinese culture, water is an important nature element. It can revive people’s happy mood. After the Olympic, it has turned into the largest aquatic paradise in Beijing. The designers cudgeled their brains for various aquatic recreations to cater for the interest of customers in different ages. It not only arouses people’s inspiration and passion, but also enriches people’s life and leaves them good memories.