Green Engineering for the Beijing Olympics

Green Engineering for the Beijing Olympics
With the 29th Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing currently under way, China is looking back on the massive efforts it has made in the engineering and construction of the host buildings. It has found out that to stage the Olympics and at the same time be 'green' redoubles the effort.

The Bejing Olympics has involved several important engineering projects including: the Olympic Villages in Beijing and in the co-host cities of Qingdao and Hong Kong; the national stadium (Bird's Nest) and the Water Cube aquatic centre for swimming and events.

Dr Sarah Liao is the overall adviser on environmental issues for the Beijing Olympic Games and the Institution asked her how green the Olympics is in Beijing. " There is an overall requirement for all competition venues to have energy efficiency 50% better than the current national requirement, and for non-competition venues to achieve 60% better. The main Olympic village achieves its goals by the extensive use of solar energy. The entire roof is fitted with 6,000m2 of solar panels supplying 600m3 of bath water for the athletes.

There is also improved insulation for the whole building, roof greening, natural lighting by design and also by the use of light tubes which use special polymer material that can guide light from outside to the basement. The heat generated in waste water treatment (200 tonnes per day) is recycled using heat-pump technology and the energy is reused in air conditioning. The treated water is also re-used." Green Technology Green engineering ranges from the use of eco-efficient materials, conservation of energy, minimisation of waste, reduction of emissions (pollutants and carbon dioxide) and protection of ecological values and biodiversity. Various green engineering techniques were incorporated in the event staging buildings. For water conservation, all venues use recycled water and re-use rain water. Water Cube The Water Cube's outer surface is made up of 100,000m2 of ETFE pillows that sandwich a hollow chamber in between. The air in this layer can be precooled or preheated using cheaper night-time power to provide environmental control. Other green engineering features include: Low-E glass; vacuum glass; double glazing curtain walls; and a composite thermal-insulation façade. Innovative Technology Innovative green technologies have been applied at some sites: Heat pump technology uses geothermal sources and hot water sources to provide energy for heating and cooling in a variety of venues. The Zero Emissions Project at the Olympic Forest Park uses waste water after treatment where it is chanelled to a wetland for nutrient removal and re-use. At this same venue, biotechnology is used to digest human solid waste on site which is then re-used as fertiliser at the park. The Olympic pool is heated by collecting the heat generated by spectators at the Water Cube. A vacuum glass tubular system is used to heat water via solar energy at the Olympic village. "Green engineering means that the design and execution of any engineering project will give priority to bringing about sustainable development. This means benefits to the social development, economic development, and the environment, as well as in the operation of the finished product". (Sarah Liao) source: http://agenda-i.imeche.org.uk