Venue: Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium
Location: Beijing University of Technology
Type: New
Olympic Events: Badminton, Rhythmic Gymnastics
Floor area (sq m): 24,383
Permanent seats: 5,800
Temporary seats: 1,700
Groundbreaking date: June. 30, 2005
Another iconic landmark in the city of Beijing for years to come will be the futuristic flying saucer-type structure that is the new Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium.
The venue for the rhythmic gymnastics and the badminton during the Games, the new structure certainly catches the eye due to its futuristic size and shape.
Located on the site of the University of Technology, the venue is the only one being used for the Olympics to be situated in the south east of the city.
Olympic officials are keen to point out that the venue boasts the 'largest prestressed suspension dome ceiling in the world' with the impressive roof spanning 93 metres in diameter.
A main competition hall and a warm-up hall occupy the 24,383 square metres of the gymnasium, with a seating capacity of 7,500 fans who will come to watch the rhythmic gymnastics and badminton competitors fighting it out for Olympic glory.
A tricky technicality to take into consideration during construction was the strict temperature and wind controls needed for both events to be held in the gym.
Badminton in particular has tough rules with the International Badminton Federation stating a constant 26 degrees Celsius and wind speed under 0.2 m/s is needed for sanctioned events.
Chinese technology has come up with a solution with the gym's air conditioning being able to supply 25 degrees Celsius without breaking the wind speed restrictions thanks to 9,100 well-placed vents situated under certain seats in the crowd.
The near-constant environmental considerations within the Olympic venues continues with the BUT Gym including rainwater recycling and ground-source heating.
Following the Games the structure will still take on an important role within the University and the community, not only as a visible icon of the Olympics, but it will provide a student activity centre and recreation centre for local residents.
The national badminton team will also use it as a training base and to stage international events.
