Beijing National Aquatics Center, Olympic swimming complex in Chaoyang District, China.
The Beijing National Aquatics Center is a sports complex in Chaoyang District, China, built with more than six hundred translucent membrane panels forming a foam-like facade. The structure contains multiple swimming pools and a public water park spread across a large indoor area.
The facility was built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and opened in January that year, when swimmers set twenty-five world records there. Later, the building was adapted for the 2022 Winter Olympics to host curling competitions.
Locals call it the Water Cube, a nickname that captures how the translucent panels resemble soap bubbles stacked together. Inside, the filtered daylight creates shifting patterns on the water surfaces as visitors move through the corridors.
The main entrance sits on the east side of the Olympic Park, easily reached via wide pedestrian paths from the nearest subway exit. The building has multiple levels, with water park areas inside accessible through escalators and elevators.
The entire project received funding through donations from Chinese emigrants worldwide, with business leaders from Hong Kong contributing major sums. In winter, the building transforms into the Ice Cube, with specialized equipment installed to convert the swimming pools into ice rinks.
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