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The Olympic Village lies in the northwest corner of the Beijing Olympic Green, with the Olympic competition venues to its south and the Forest Park to its north.
The Village, with an area of 66 hectares, includes the Apartment Buildings for athletes in the south and the overlay area in the north.
During the Olympic Games, the Olympic Village can accommodate more than 16,000 athletes and officials (7,000 athletes and officials during the Paralympic Games) and provide services related to accommodation, living, training, leisure, entertainment, etc.
The Residential Zone
The Residential Zone has an area of 27.55 hectares and a floor area of 524,000 square meters. They include 20 9-storey buildings, 22 6-storey buildings, 3 Super Resident Centres, 9 Resident Centres and facilities, such as the Polyclinic and the Casual Dining Hall. Overlay area in the north
The overlay area in the north of the village will provide services including arrival, accreditation, leisure, catering, fitness, departure, etc. for athletes coming to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
There will be the Welcome Ceremony Stage, the Village Mayor Office, the Dining Hall, the shopping centre, the logistics centre, the accreditation centre, etc.
Construction
The Structural Engineering: outer facade is fitted up and the indoor fine decoration has been completely largely.
Water supply and drainage system: the pipes to supply water for daily life, potable water, reclaimed water for flushing toilets, hot water for shower, and water for fire fighting have been installed. Sewers have been installed.
The electrical equipment: outdoor power system, switching station, electricity distribution room, room lighting and indoor panel box systems have been installed. And the full loading operation has been carried out. The elevator has been installed. The construction of the intelligent systems (building automation, fire control, office, security, communication, automatic control) has entered the final stage.
Air conditioning and heating: the first phase commissioning of air conditioning was completed in September 2007. The heating for winter is underway.
Landscape project: the engineering for road surface course, outdoor lighting, green space and water system, enclosure and gate is close to the end. Main building and outdoor engineering have been completed largely The public space, such as staircases and elevator halls, has been fitted up The indoor fine decoration has been completed largely Water supply and drainage system and sanitary wares have been installed. The elevations have been installed
Air conditioning system with water reclamation heat pumps has been put into operation.
Follow-up
Before Lockdown (begins on July 8th, 2008): The full loading test is scheduled to be carried out according to the actual need during the Games-time. During the test, the shower water, potable water, tap water, drainage, outdoor and indoor lighting, elevator, intelligentization and other systems will be tested; the water reclamation heat pump system will be put into operation for cooling purpose with automatic control; the BOCOG operation team will move in; FF&E and other facilities will be loaded in.
The opening and closing of the Village: The Olympic Village will open on July 27, 2008 and close on August 28, 2008. The Paralympic Village will open on August 30 and close on September 20.
Application of the three concepts of the Olympic Games
The following green technologies have been applied: renewable energy, water reclamation, utilization of rain and flood, green building materials, energy-saving building, green indoor environment, ecological landscape, intelligent house, DTV, and green lighting, accessible facilities. The harmony between culture, architecture and environment has been achieved in the green residential area. The village, with its world leading technology, has showcased to the world the distinguishing characteristics of the high level Olympic Games.
The whole process of the construction illustrates the “three concepts”. For example, slag was used to pave the lanes at the construction sites; solar energy adopted for lighting; water sprayed to remove dust; water permeation bricks paved.
Utilization of renewable energy
Renewable energy utilized to save energy and cut emission During the Games-times, 7,890,000 kilowatt hours will be obtained from solar energy and reclaimed water for services.
After the Olympic Games, 67 million kilowatt hours will be obtained from solar energy and reclaimed water.
The reclaimed water heat pump air conditioning system
The system draws energy through heat exchange from the reclaimed water from the Qinghe Wastewater Treatment Plant and discharges the water to the rivers. During the process, the water quality will not change and water will not lessen while the energy in the reclaimed water can be utilized. The energy drawn from the reclaimed water can be enhanced by the heat pumps for heating and cooling. The system consumes electricity 40% less than the ordinary air conditioners. Thanks to the world leading wastewater utilization system, cooling towers or outdoor machines are not needed, no noise or smoke will be generated, and the heat island effect can be removed completely.
Integrated solar energy water heating system
The solar energy heating pipes are installed horizontally in the gardens on the roofs, constituting part of the pergola and thus integrated into the garden. 6,000 square metres solar energy water heating system can provide bathing hot water for more than 16,000 athletes. After the Olympic Games, it can provide hot water for nearly 2,000 households nearby.
All the details of the solar energy water heating system have been taken into consideration. They include heat collection, heat exchange, heat preservation, sterilization, heat source backup, waste heat utilization, automatic control, etc. The indirect cycle heat exchange is adopted in the system, featuring independent operation, consistent water temperature, easy maintenance and easy calculation. The solar energy water heating system can save 5 million kilowatt hours electric power per year. The scale and cutting edge technology have excelled those of the previous Olympic Games.
The solar collectors have been installed Street lamps with Solar/Wind Hybrid Power
Solar energy street lamps, garden lamps, lawn lamps, light pipes, green lighting such as LED lighting have been used to make the Olympic nights even more colorful.
Micro energy consumption building (Super Resident Center)
More than 20 cutting edge technologies, such as solar heat collection, solar water heating, solar dehumidification, cogeneration of heat and power by solar energy, windmill power generation, air conditioning by geo thermal heat pumps, vacuum windowpane, intellectual control, etc. have been applied in the micro energy consumption buildings. For 2,000 square metres of the micro energy consumption buildings, each square metre will consume 36 kilowatt hours annually, which is 1/3rd of the consumption of the existing energy saving buildings. 147,000 kilowatt hours of energy can be saved yearly.
Energy-saving buildings
Outer building enclosure heat preservation system
Thickened XPS extruded sheets have been used for walls and building surfaces, with heat transfer coefficient at 0.38w/ ㎡ .k. It can save energy while preserving heat. The heat insulation can make the buildings cool in summer and warm in winter.
Double-glazing LOW-E windowpanes
The double-glazing LOW-E glass with inert gases fill framed by aluminum has been used. The glass features thermal insulation and noise prevention. The K value (heat transfer coefficient) is close to 2.0. It can reduce the noise by 40db. The coating is of low radiant ratio. Such super thing low radiation coating can reflect most of the heat back to the room to prevent heat loss in winter. It can block the outdoor sun radiation in summer. The gas fill can cut the sound transmission to reduce noise while presenting good view.
Energy-saving Persian blinds
The heat transfer coefficient of the sealed insulating glass adopted for the Persian blinds is lower than ordinary ones. Therefore, it can save energy significantly. The blinds will be put into the cavity between the two layers of glass. The blinds can block solar radiation when closed to cut the energy consumption by the air conditioners. The blinds can absorb solar heat to keep the inside warm when opened. The magnetic system sealed within can control the movement of the slats. Thus, the solar radiation can be blocked while the view can be presented.
Environmental Protection
Biological sewage treatment technology used in landscape flowers house Biological sewage treatment technology is adopted in the Olympic Village to treat part of domestic waste water and also to provide water for landscape. Simulating the self-purification capacity of water, a water body biological balance system applying food chains of animals and plants is set up to treat the domestic water in a comprehensive way. In this way 200 tons of water can be provided to water the landscape.
Diagram of rain and flood water utilization
6000 m3of water can be collected and reused every year to water the green space and clean the road.
Application of environmental-friendly materials
In order to ensure a good indoor environment, construction materials(including cement, concrete, mixture, water reducing agent, wall materials, glass and glass wares, sanitary ceramics, doors and windows, water-proof materials) and decoration materials(artificial boards and products, coatings and paints, adhesives ) have been tested and undergone pre-control process during the construction. The environmental protection indicators of all these materials surpass the national standard E1, and reach E0 standard required by the Environmental Protection Guide of Olympic Projects.
High standard environmental-friendly paint
Quality Titanium dioxide white paint and wall paint with innovative environmental protection technology used in the Olympic Village are stain resistant and durable. The paint does not include heavy metals, content of the VOC(volatile organic compounds) and formaldehyde is close to zero.
Human oriented design ?Accessible design system Outdoors—Accessible ramps and blind sidewalks are set. The entrance and exit of apartments are level with the outside roads. Outdoor roads are higher than green space. Overhead wood plastic board is used to connect entrance and exit of a building with the outside roads, thus protecting the green space and facilitate people with walking difficulties. Public space—Accessible ramps and hand rails are installed at the main entrance of apartments and public facilities. Lifts tailor made for people with a disability are 900mm wide and accommodative for wheelchairs. Horizontal operating panels are provided in the lifts. Indoors—Accessible facilities are installed indoors. An accessible toilet is installed in each apartment on the ground, first and second floor, where sanitary wares and equipments up to the accessible design are used.
?High standard potable water system The deeply purified potable water (neutral Ph) tastes cool. Water goes through O3, activated carbon, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, finished water storage tank, Catalyze Oxidation Sterilization, activated carbon, frequency conversion and pressure before reaching the users. Water is supplied around the clock thus avoiding the second time pollution in the pipelines. So high quality potable water is provided in the Olympic Village.
Excerpts from the BEIJING 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES - AN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW by UNEP: The venue features innovative technologies, such as a heat pump system, photovoltaic panels, beam-pipe illumination, solar collectors, water saving devices, and rainwater collection. The designers have succeeding in designing a people-oriented, healthy, comfortable and energy-saving environment in the Village.
(China.org.cn March 5, 2008)