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Friday, August 22, 2008

The 2008 Olympics "Water Cube:" Looks Cool, Retains Heat, and Keeps Itself Clean

"How Bubble Wrap Could Power the Future"
LiveScience (August 22, 2008)

This isn't as crazy as it sounds:

"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."
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 23, 2008 at 8:23 AM

    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.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brian H. GillAugust 25, 2008 at 12:19 AM

    legbamel,

    My pleasure: And yes: "This is much cooler."

    And, a promising new architectural technology.

    ReplyDelete

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