The Watercube: Beijing Bubble for the 2008 Olympics
If a building's form ever advertised its function better than this, I've yet to see it. The National Swim Center in Beijing, (aka 'Watercube') is skinned in a lightweight, transparent teflon material called ETFE and when completed this design will retain 90% of the solar energy it recieves. Simply fantastic. The following is from Inhabitat:
"With all the new construction going up in China, it’s easy to lose track of “one more cool-looking” building. But PTW’s National Swimming Center for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing exemplifies what all this new construction should aim to be: beautiful, functional, forward-thinking, and most importantly, a good example for future development in a nation whose growth appears to know no bounds. The design, which won a competition in 2003 and will sit adjacent to Herzog and DeMeuron’s main stadium, boasts a striking blue “bubble” aesthetic, which is both eye-catching and indicative of the function it houses (we love this interior-exterior architectural connection).
via Inhabitat
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