Boating in Beijing

When it comes to stylish Olympic success, steel is the winning choice. A fine example of this will be seen at the Beijing Aquatic Park when the 2008 Olympics get underway, courtesy of leading Australian architect Lawrence Nield of Bligh Voller Nield. As the venue for the Olympic rowing and canoeing competitions, the Beijing Aquatic Park will contain a number of stylish steel designs, including the impressive boat hull grandstand, a building of dynamic and sleek linear form, reflecting an upside down segment of boat hull.

"The imagery was developed to echo the forms and materiality associated with sport, and in particular the craft of boat making," explains Lawrence. "We created the grandstand much like a boat hull with the skin peeled away at various locations to reveal the primary structure and expose the dynamism of the form."

The primary structure comprises curved cantilevered steel beams, a delicate skin of steel and glass and louvred panels. There is a lineal 'pond' of water that runs the length of the grandstand to give the illusion of the hull sitting in the water. To add to the dynamism at the grandstand's entry, there is even a huge video screen integrated into the glazed entry wall.

The building is organised on two levels, with the lower level forming the main public concourse with various spectator amenities and the upper level containing the VIP facilities, including a spectacular café/restaurant overlooking the watercourse.

According to Manu Siitonen, specifier market manager at BlueScope Steel: "This is a fantastic example of how Australian architects are taking their creativity to all parts of the world. Steel is an ideal material for modern and iconic structures whatever their location or theme, so it's natural that it is used so frequently and so well."

Steel not only allows flexibility and endless style possibilities, it brings many functional benefits too, making it easy to work with and, importantly, very durable. "When you go to this much effort to make an architectural statement, you need to ensure it's still going to be making the statement in the years to come," explains Manu.

"Bligh Voller Nield is one of many architectural firms taking Australian creativity to environments across the globe and in the process demonstrating very effectively how materials like steel can help create exciting and dramatic structures for the long-term. We are looking forward to Beijing 2008 and just hope our competitors in the water can do just as well!"