LiveScience (August 22, 2008)
"Swim suits that mimic shark skin are not the only high-tech pool materials to be found at the Beijing Olympics. The National Aquatics Center, or 'Water Cube,' is surrounded by a light-weight polymer foil that significantly reduces the energy that goes into construction.
"The thin transparent material, called ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene), is segmented into 3,000 air-filled cushions that let in light but hold in heat.
" 'It is like very sophisticated bubble wrap,' said Annette LeCuyer, an architecture professor at the University at Buffalo. ..."
Besides looking cool and saving energy, the high-tech wall material helps keep the building clean. Since the polymer wall is also very slick, rain will wash dirt and dust off the outside of the building.
I think one of the benefits of events like the Olympics is that they give global attention to new technologies like the walls of the "Water Cube."
2 comments:
Thanks for the information. I wondered about the bubbly walls. I figured that it had been done with plastic for effect. This is much cooler.
legbamel,
My pleasure: And yes: "This is much cooler."
And, a promising new architectural technology.
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