国家游泳中心, 中国北京 The National Aquatics Center in Beijing, China (© Han Haidan/China News Service via Getty Images)

国家游泳中心, 中国北京 The National Aquatics Center in Beijing, China (© Han Haidan/China News Service via Getty Images)

Beijing's winter bubble 北京的冬季泡沫

2022 Winter Paralympics

The 2022 Winter Paralympics begins today in Beijing, as the Chinese capital becomes the first city to host both the summer and winter editions of the Paralympic Games. Over the next 10 days, about 600 athletes will compete in 78 different events across six sports—alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, snowboarding, para ice hockey, and wheelchair curling. All the events will take place in a strict Covid 'bubble' system to ensure a safe and successful Games.

Speaking of bubbles, today we're looking at the National Aquatics Center, a box-shaped building that will host the wheelchair curling events. The design of the bubble-wrapped façade—made from a thin, transparent material called ETFE—is based on the Weaire–Phelan geometric structure, which is derived from the natural pattern of bubbles in soap lather. The venue was originally constructed to host the swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. But its pool has been turned into an ice rink for the winter events, making it the first sports arena in the world that can switch between water and ice.

2022年冬季残奥会

2022年冬季残奥会今天在北京开幕，中国首都成为第一个举办夏季和冬季残奥会的城市。在接下来的10天里，大约600名运动员将参加78个不同项目的比赛，包括高山滑雪、越野滑雪、冬季两项、单板滑雪、para冰球和轮椅冰壶。所有活动都将在严格的新冠病毒“泡沫”系统中进行，以确保安全和成功的奥运会。

说到泡泡，今天我们来看看国家游泳中心，这是一座长方形的建筑，将举办轮椅冰壶比赛。泡沫包裹立面的设计是基于Weaire–Phelan几何结构，由一种称为ETFE的薄透明材料制成，该几何结构源自肥皂泡中气泡的自然图案。该场馆最初用于举办2008年夏季奥运会和残奥会的游泳、跳水和花样游泳比赛。但它的游泳池已经变成了冬季赛事的溜冰场，成为世界上第一个可以在水和冰之间切换的运动场。