The Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games that will take place in China in February, 2022 promise to be like no Olympics that have come before. President Xi Jinping has announced his country’s intention to make the event as environmentally sustainable as possible, declaring that the Games will be “green, inclusive, open and clean”, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. For the first time in the history of the Olympics, all the venues – located in the Chinese capital, Beijing, and the neighbouring province of Hebei – will be wholly powered by green energy, utilising the rich wind and solar resources of co-host city Zhangjakou. And rather than build new venues in Beijing, the organisers are adapting existing buildings, such as the National Aquatics Centre, where the swimming pool will be transformed into a curling arena.
The one exception is the capital’s new National Speed Skating Oval. Known as ‘The Ice Ribbon’, this imposing construction will host 12,000 spectators during the Games, when 14 gold medals will be awarded. The exterior façade of the building, which has been designed by architecture firm Populous, is a striking oval cocoon of 22 glass ribbons, which symbolise the traces that the skaters leave on the ice. At night, the ribbons light up in changing colours, and during the day, in keeping with the Games’ green credentials, they generate electricity, thanks to the photovoltaic qualities of the glass.
Inside, the ice covers 12,000 square metres, making this the largest indoor ice surface in all of Asia. And the technological innovation continues: in another green first for the Olympics, Beijing has introduced carbon dioxide transcritical direct cooling for the ice-making process. Juan Antonio Samaranch, Chair of the International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission for the Games, has described this as “a landmark decision”.
“THIS WAS THE BIGGEST CO2 PROJECT EVER IN CHINA, SO IT WAS A REAL LANDMARK.”
Jason Dai
Sales manager, güntner
“This was the biggest CO2 project ever in China, so it was a real landmark,” says Güntner Sales Manager Jason Dai. “It was very complex, and we had to make sure the Gas Coolers worked perfectly for the whole refrigeration system.” The technology is also extremely energy-efficient compared to what has come before. “The energy consumption of this ice-making system is twenty percent less compared to one based on Freon,” says Song Jiafeng, the Ice Ribbon’s Executive Deputy General Manager. In addition, the waste heat generated by refrigeration will be used for athletes’ domestic hot water and ice surface maintenance.