The sparkling blue lanes of the former "Water Cube" have been transformed into 4 crystal clear curling tracks, and the "Ice Cube" is becoming an excellent stage for curling athletes around the world to compete at the top. In the mixed doubles curling match of the Beijing Winter Olympics on the evening of February 8, the Italian team defeated Norway 8-5 to win the championship, announcing the birth of the first curling gold medal of the Winter Olympics.
The water ice is converted and the curling field is set up. Courtesy of Beijing State-owned Assets Corporation
Since the start of the Winter Olympics, the Ice Cube has become one of the most talked-about venues by athletes. American curler Victoria Persinger said, "This is the most beautiful venue I have ever seen, and it is an honor to be able to play in it. That building is unique and I love seeing the site reused with existing resources as it is now. ”
Czech Artist Susanna Paulova exclaimed, "It's hard to believe that this was once a swimming pool, and it feels very special to play here." "It's amazing that you can see the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics in the same building." British female curler Jennifer Dodds also praised the Ice Cube...
Water ice conversion, curling field steel structure calibration. Courtesy of Beijing State-owned Assets Corporation
A double Olympic venue can be so praised by athletes from all delegations, which is a high affirmation of the "water ice conversion" China's plan, and it is also the highest score for the high-tech behind the gorgeous transformation.
At the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, the "Water Cube" was the main venue for swimming, diving and synchronized swimming competitions, and was well known to the world for its unique shape and beautiful appearance created by its membrane structure. As the owner of the National Aquatics Center, Beijing State-owned Assets Corporation creatively proposed the sustainable use and transformation plan of the "water ice conversion" venue, which not only made the "Ice Cube" the largest curling venue in the history of the Winter Olympic Games, but also the only double Olympic venue in the world where both water and ice projects can operate.
Water ice conversion, curling field laying ice rink substrate. Courtesy of Beijing State-owned Assets Corporation
To set up a curling track on the pool, you first drain the water in the pool and then set up a convertible frame in the pool. "Building a shelf" in the pool seems simple, but how to ensure that the ice surface meets the strict requirements of the Winter Olympic Games? The secret is hidden in the convertible steel structure that supports the ice surface. Under the ice surface, which is invisible to the naked eye, the steel structure is densely constructed of 2600 thin-walled H-shaped steels that are 3 meters high and 2 meters long, and the design and installation are exquisite. The test results show that the load of 1 ton per square meter is increased, and the maximum deformation of the steel structure is only 1.6 mm, which meets the design requirements of less than 3 mm.
In the key ice-making links, in order to ensure that there is no mistake in the competition, the venue adopts the "dual-use and one-preparation" scheme of ice-making units. There are now two sets of pipes next to the arena, one entering and one looping to form a circuit, just like the arteries and veins of the human body. The densely packed ice pipes on the ice base layer are connected to arterial veins like capillaries. The outdoor refrigeration unit is like the "heart", which transports the refrigerant through the pipeline to the ice rink to ensure the smooth progress of ice making in the field.
Water ice conversion, curling field ice making. Courtesy of Beijing State-owned Assets Corporation
As a competition venue for water sports such as swimming and diving, the environment of the "Water Cube" competition is high temperature and high humidity, while the environment of the curling competition requires low temperature and low humidity. How to create a low temperature and low humidity environment in the huge competition hall? According to the relevant person in charge of the venue, the mystery lies in the dehumidification system after the renovation of the venue, "just like the human body's respiratory system, it continuously sends dry and cold air into the competition hall and brings out the hot and humid air in the hall." ”
Not only to ensure that the ice used in the game does not melt, but also to make the audience not feel cold, the contradiction also finds a balance in the transformation of the venue - through the intelligent "hub" to control the real-time zoning control of the temperature. With this system, the curling stadium's competition hall can ensure that the ice surface temperature of the curling track reaches -8.5 °C under any heat load conditions, the temperature is maintained at 10 °C at 1.5 meters above the ice surface, the relative humidity does not exceed 30%, and the grandstand temperature reaches a more comfortable temperature of 16 °C to 18 °C.