Architects: Tsinghua University's Institute of Architectural Design and Research
LOPO Terracotta Prodcut: Facades & Baguettes (85,000 SQM)
Located in the core area of Zhangjiakou competition zone, Zhangjiakou Winter Olympic Village and Winter Paralympic Village is only 10 minutes’ drive from the Guyangshu Cluster in the south and 12 minutes’ drive from the Genting Ski Park in the north. It covers an area of 19.76 hectares with a total construction area of 239,000 square meters. The entire Winter Olympic Village is divided into 3 functional areas: the residential area, the plaza area and the operational area. The residential area consists of 9 apartment building clusters and 1 public cluster, with a total of 31 buildings, including 1,669 flats and 2,117 rooms. In total, it hosted nearly 2,000 athletes and their entourage during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Its design adopts the northern Chinese courtyard concept, where a courtyard is a cluster, and each courtyard is composed of three to four small buildings with a micro landscape formed within. As Wang Hao from Tsinghua University's Institute of Architectural Design and Research introduced, courtyards constitute a common type of residence in northern China. From the typical Beijing's courtyards to the residence in rural areas, courtyards have always been an important part of people's living space. Its design factors in the windy climate of the Chongli region while greatly enhancing its comfort. Following this design philosophy, the designers have incorporated the unique element of the 'Chinese courtyard' into the design of the Zhangjiakou Winter Olympic Village. Small buildings with yellow walls, and black and grey roofs reveal the rich connotation of dwellings in China’s northern mountainous areas. Dotted with white birch trees, the village blends in perfectly with the nearby mountains and other natural surroundings.
Eco-friendly principles are strictly followed throughout the design and construction of the Zhangjiakou Winter Olympic Village. By adopting a series of measures to save land, energy, materials and water, the project has been awarded with a three-star green architectural design. Prefabricated building technology is applied, including the usage of a steel frame structure system, partition panels for the walls, mechanically fixed terracotta facades and upright overlocking metal roofing. It not only greatly improves construction efficiency but is also highly eco-friendly as majority of the materials can be recycled.
In terms of the façade design, the architects hope the athletes to have a quieter and more comfortable environment to relax and unwind after the exciting, intense and fast-paced sports competitions and training during the daytime, and therefore choose a more muted color tone and softer style for the façade design. For the Olympic Village project, LOPO has custom-made terracotta panels and Terracotta baguettes in different shades of yellow, with a specially crafted and grooved surface texture, which naturally gives a layered color variation even for the same piece. The mix and match of different colored, slightly coarse and rustic terracotta gives a more dynamic and natural facade effect, creating a warm and peaceful Olympic village for the athletes amidst the snow.
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