The Water Cube
The structure’s fantastic honeycomb design came simply from soap bubbles collecting in a sink. Individual bubbles are fragile but when they collect or coagulate they form strong bonds. The structure is made of steel beams, but filling that open space within those beams are the bubbles themselves, plastic bubbles (actually Teflon which is a plastic) - yes plastic that’s only 2/10ths of a millimeter thick, filled with nothing but AIR.... These air filled pockets or "cushions" sport spots, the Teflon is heat resistant, and some cushions have more spots, some less, all for the sole energy saving purpose of absorbing and reflecting heat from the sun. Light filters through the plastic so no lights are needed during the day, which is truly efficient, and the plastic also warms the cube in the freezing Beijing winters, but the air in the cushions also helps keep it cool in the searingly hot summer. The execution of this concept was an Olympic feat in itself.
Bird’s Nest Stadium
The city of Beijing wanted a stadium that was worthy of the Olympics. A Swiss Architecture firm pushed the limits, and delivered the stadium now referred to as the Bird’s Nest. The inspiration was ancient, but the design is a contemporary icon, and a public space for the people. This innovative space is also earth friendly. The coolest part of the Nest is not its sweeping lines (which are made of steel) , but its structure is also a built-in water capturing system that irrigates the stadium’s field, and grounds. Two Structures combining form, function, tradition, and innovation at its best.
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