Water Cube

Water Cube, nickname of the National Aquatics Center, is built alongside the National Stadium in the Olympic Green for the swimming competitions of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Now it has become a must-see travel spot in Beijing. In 2008, Water Cube hosted the Swimming, Diving and Synchronized Swimming events and witnessed 25 world records broken in the Beijing Olympics. The Water Cube is the only Olympic venue financed in part by donations from overseas Chinese. Total donations collected over 800 million yuan. It occupies an area of 80,000 sqm, and has 17,000 seats including 11,000 temporary ones. Comprising a steel space frame, it is the largest ETFE(Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) clad structure in the world with over 100,000 m² of ETFE pillows that are only 0.2 mm (1/125 of an inch) in total thickness. The ETFE cladding allows more light and heat

penetration than traditional glass, resulting in a 30% decrease in energy costs. The outer wall is based on the Weaire–Phelan structure, a structure devised from the natural formation of bubbles in soap foam. The complex Weaire–Phelan pattern was developed by slicing through bubbles in soap foam, resulting in more irregular, organic patterns than foam bubble structures proposed earlier by the scientist Kelvin. Using the Weaire–Phelan geometry, the Water Cube's exterior cladding is made of 4,000 ETFE bubbles, some as large as 9.14 meters (30 feet) across, with seven different sizes for the roof and 15 for the walls. The Water Cube is the single largest, most complicated and most comprehensive ETFE structure in the world to date. It can be divided into four sections: <1> The Water World---You will be charmed by the Water World. You want to make a long pause. <2> The SPA Zone

---The SPA zone is equipped with international advanced SPA facilities and technology. It is a good place to relax. <3> Restaurants and Bars---Restaurants and Bars share the characteristics of the Water Cube’s design. You can enjoy gourmet meals in water-theme restaurants. <4> The Business Section---Wandering in the business section, you can see various souvenirs. You will also know more about the Water Cube and swimming events in the Olympic Games here, and the latest information about water. Here are some guide information for your tour to Reclining Buddha Temple: Address: 11 Tianchen East Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing. Admission Fee: CNY 30 Swimming in the training pool: CNY 50 for two hours (14:00-19:00 from Tuesday to Sunday), Openning Hours: 09:00-19:00 (Monday-Thursday) 09:00-17:00 (Friday-Sunday)  Contact Number: 86-10-51669445