(ECNS) - A milestone has been reached in the transformation of the National Aquatics Center—colloquially known as the Water Cube and a venue of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics—into the Ice Cube, a venue for curling events during the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
The changes involve filling the pool with steel structures, leveling the ground with a retractable layer of concrete, producing ice surfaces, and building four Olympic-standard curling rinks.
The concrete layer, which was made using precast concrete slabs, was completed on Tuesday.
Yang Qiyong, the general manager of the center, said other renovation work including the installation of ice-making and air-conditioning systems are expected to be completed in October.
The renovation involves other technical upgrades to the facility, that will allow for better control of temperature, humidity, lighting, and energy-saving measures.
Beijing, which hosted the Summer Games in 2008, will become the first city ever to host both a Summer and Winter Olympics. Many venues from the 2008 Summer Games are now in the process of being renovated to make them suitable for winter sports ahead of the 2022 Games. The Water Cube/Ice Cube will stand as a permanent legacy of how a sustainable Olympics can be put on.
