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How do you turn the Water Cube into an Ice Cube?
Click to see the whole process.
The Ice Cube has become a Water Cube once more. The whole process is an impressive feat of engineering, yet also surprisingly simple.
Chinese companies are hoping they can apply similar conversion processes to other competition venues in the future, which could make it much easier to hold winter sports events.
Once the pool is empty and clean, it can be refilled with water.
In addition, each of the 2,600 steel beams and 1,560 concrete slabs are digitally tracked, ensuring the structure can be reassembled efficiently in the future.
The steel frame is also held together by removable high-strength bolts. This makes the entire structure easy to assemble and disassemble.
The frame consists of a steel structure covered with lightweight precast concrete panels. The ice lay on top of the concrete panels, which are tightly connected to the steel frame by high-strength bolts.
After these layers have been peeled back, the huge steel frame supporting the curling track is gradually revealed.
To waterproof the structure and ensure the ice cooled evenly, the engineers installed layers of waterproofing and insulating materials under the ice surface before the Games. These now also need to be removed.
This design makes the ice-making tubes very easy to install and remove during the conversion process.
The racks are used to make sure the ice-making tubes are evenly spread across the surface. They’re divided into grids, like giant egg cartons.
Once the ice has melted, all that remains are the ice-making tube racks.
Hot water is injected into the ice-making tubes, which gradually melts the ice on the curling track. The melted water will be reused as reclaimed water.
The first stage of “melting” the Ice Cube is adjusting the atmospheric conditions inside the arena. The roof coverings, for example, are removed, flooding the stadium with natural light. This helps reduce energy consumption during the melting process.
To turn the curling track back into a swimming pool, the previously laid equipment must be removed piece by piece.
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To promote sustainability, the Beijing 2022 organizers committed to make the Water Cube a multi-use venue: able to convert into a winter sports arena and back again.
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The Water Cube is set to become the first “twin” Olympic venue by hosting events at both the Summer and Winter Games.
The stadium hosted the swimming competitions at Beijing 2008. For the 2022 Winter Olympics, it’s being converted into an “Ice Cube” to host the curling.
Unlike previous projects, the stadium isn’t being converted permanently into a curling arena. The swimming pool has been retained, so the arena can switch back and forth depending on the season.
But how does the process work? The first step is to drain the water from the swimming pool, rather than directly freezing the water.
Then, engineers install a giant “frame” inside the pool: a convertible steel structure that supports the ice. It’s made from 2,600 steel girders, connected by high-strength bolts. The structure has a strength and durability equivalent to concrete.
The top of the frame is covered by over 1,560 precast concrete slabs that are each around one meter squared. These also help support the ice.
Olympic curling tracks have to be perfectly flat, but the bottom of the swimming pool is sloped. To counteract this, each steel column is fitted with a leveling device that can precisely adjust the height of the columns.
These small bolts have a crucial role. They help keep the ice stable and flat, while the rubber pads protect the pool from damage.
Once the frame is complete, preparations for creating the ice can begin.
To waterproof the frame and ensure the ice surface is cooled evenly, layers of insulation, waterproofing, and a sliding layer are laid over the concrete slabs.
Next, the top layer is fitted with a removable rack, which is used during the freezing process.
The ice is created using tiny tubes that must be laid out evenly across the surface. Each tube has a diameter of just 25 millimeters.
To ensure everything remains even, the ice-making tubes are stacked on shelves resembling giant egg cartons.
Now, the creation of the ice surface can finally begin. The process is similar to making a lasagna.
Although the ice is only 8 centimeters thick, it takes a team of professional ice makers 10-20 days to create it. They have to pour water back and forth across the surface 40 to 50 times, before polishing the top layer.
A complex system regulates the temperature and humidity levels inside the arena to preserve the quality of the ice while ensuring the comfort of the athletes and spectators. If the ice is exposed to heat or humid air, the surface could be distorted.
The Water Cube’s transparent roof provides ideal lighting conditions for swimming events, but for the curling it will be covered up. Too much natural light could make the ice unstable.
In just 25 days, the arena’s transformation from Water Cube to Ice Cube is complete! But how is it returned to its original form?
Click to find out.
Sources
The 3-D simulations of the venue’s conversion process are based on actual film footage, related written accounts, and expert interviews. Some scenes have been condensed or simplified for the sake of clarity.
Video Source: “Research and Application Demonstration of Winter-Summer Sports Scene Conversion Technology of National Swimming Center,” CCTV Science and Education
Written Sources: “Testing and Simulation Analysis of the Dynamic Performance of the Newly Assembled Ice Rink,” and other papers, media interviews, and public reports
Acknowledgments
Members of the Winter Olympics Science and Technology project
Yang Qiyong, general manager, National Swimming Center
Zheng Fang, chief designer, National Swimming Center Curling Arena
Liu Jun, “Ice Cube” project manager, China Construction First Bureau
Zhang Wenyuan, professor, Harbin Institute of Technology
Lu Shiliang, professor, Harbin Institute of Technology
Production Staff
THE PAPER-839 STUDIO
Zhang Zehong, Lü Yan, Du Haiyan, Kong Jiaxing, Chao Jiasheng, Wang Yu, Wang Yasai, Sun Rui, Xu Xueqing
SIXTH TONE
Luo Yahan, Dominic Morgan, Fu Xiaofan, Qi Ya, Wang Xinyi