The National Speed ​​Skating Oval of China, nicknamed the “Ice Ribbon,†has around 12,000 seats in a beautiful combination of blue and white. Photo: Zhao Juecheng / GT
With less than 100 days of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the Olympic atmosphere in the city is becoming more and more intense. Beijing completed construction of competitive arenas in the city, including the National Speed ​​Skating Ring, dubbed the “Ice Ribbon,†with the concepts of energy conservation and epidemic prevention predominant in its design. , is the only newly built arena. for the Games.
Journalists from the Global Times visited the arena, which will host speed skating competitions during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, where 14 gold medals will be awarded, gaining an in-depth understanding of the green concepts involved as well as epidemic-proof design.
The National Speed ​​Skating Ring is located near the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube, the iconic venues of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, forming an Olympic complex.
Its curtain wall is surrounded by 22 curved glass walls in the shape of a crystal ribbon, which is why it has been nicknamed the “Ribbon of Iceâ€. The design was inspired by the ribbon-shaped traces of skaters on the ice during the speed skating competition, echoing the main function of the arena.
“The ‘ice ribbon’ was built on the site of the former hockey and archery arena for the 2008 Beijing Olympics,” Huang Hui, director of the site construction department, said Thursday. urban areas of the Beijing major projects office.
“During the construction process, the original ecosystem of the site was fully preserved, and the original 8,000 square meters of grass and forest were also preserved,†Huang said.
Upon entering the room, signs saying “Wear a mask” and “Keep social distance” could be seen everywhere. On the huge and silent ice rink, the workers were making the final lighting adjustments, awaiting the spectacle of the best athletes in the world in February.
The arena has around 12,000 seats in a beautiful combination of blue and white.
Zheng Fang, chief designer of the stadium, told the Global Times that the venue was designed from the start with special attention to epidemic prevention.
“We have deliberately designed the different lines of motion for spectators, athletes and staff to ensure that spectators and event staff will have different trajectories and do not come into contact with each other,” Zheng said.
“The competition hall is part of the closed loop bubble and there will be a strict epidemic prevention policy for entry and exit. There is also a special nucleic acid testing room and an isolation room. in the “Ice Ribbon”. “
Zheng noted that with the current sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19 across China and the onset of winter, site staff and designers are still working to improve the site’s outbreak prevention capacity.
Energy efficiency and environmental protection were the basic concepts that prevailed in the construction of the Ice Ribbon.
Ma Jin, who is in charge of the design of the site’s ice-making system, said Thursday that the entire ice-making process uses carbon dioxide, taking into account ecological and energy-saving requirements. energy.
The Ice Ribbon also has intelligent sports management, spectator management and venue management systems.
For example, thanks to intelligent management, the temperatures in different parts of the pavilion can be stratified. The temperature near the ice surface, where players will compete against each other, will be adjusted to around 10 ° C to allow players to do their best. At the same time, the temperature in the spectator area can reach 16 ° C, which makes it more comfortable to watch the Games.
The Ice Sliver adopts the public-private partnership mode of operation, in which the government provides 28.9% of the financial resources to leverage social capital and technology in the construction of the site.
After the Winter Olympics, the arena will be open to the public, Huang said. “The facilities will be part of the Olympic legacy, providing services for ice sports.
As Beijing builds support venues and facilities that can be used for the long term, locals are showing their warm support for the upcoming Winter Olympics. According to official figures, more than a million people have volunteered for the Beijing Winter Olympics to provide free services, even if it involves a long period of quarantine beforehand.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will be held from February 4 to 20, 2022 in Beijing, its Yanqing district, and neighboring Zhangjiakou city in Hebei Province.
