populous unveils 'ice ribbon' stadium for beijing 2022 winter olympics

the ‘ice ribbon’ speed skating oval

architecture practice populous celebrates the completion of its ‘ice ribbon’ stadium for the 2022 winter olympics in beijing, which are set to begin february 4th. the project, a national speed skating oval, stands as the only new permanent venue for the games. the 12,000 seat venue will host the speed skating events and will award fourteen gold medals. populous notes that it designed the ‘ice ribbon’ as ‘a symbol of chinese cultural heritage that celebrates the elegance, precision, pace and dynamic of speed skating.’

the stadium marks the fourteenth olympic games, both summer and winter, in which populous was involved, and has furthered the team’s olympic experience.

images courtesy of populous | @wearepopulous

populous wraps its stadium in 22 illuminated ribbons

the ‘ice ribbon’ stadium by populous (see more here) takes its name from its facade, which is made up of 22 massive, illuminated ribbons. populous senior principal and co-project director on NSSO andrew james comment: ‘the winning design for the ‘ice ribbon’ was created in an intense time frame and was forged through several concepts and many iterations to develop a spinning concept into its final form.’

celebrating beijing’s heritage with playful inspiration

the conceptual design of the ‘ice ribbon’ took inspiration from a traditional ice game played in beijing which involved a high-speed spinning ‘ice top.’ tiric chang, principal of populous china, recalls the game: ‘that’s what I thought of when reflecting on the characteristics of olympic speed skating. so, the ice tops became part of the design inspiration injecting a strong chinese memory into the venue.’

chang continues: ‘it guided the design team to boldly extend the concept of a high-speed rotating ice top to creating 22 rotating light bands for the façade, which not only represent the ice surface and the shape of the oval, but also perfectly demonstrated the high-speed movement of speed skaters.‘

after the games, the design’s legacy allows the transformation of the facility to serve its long-term purpose as a real hub for the community, to hold winter festivals, public ice skating, ice hockey or private ice-based shows and events.

this legacy design will support the chinese central government’s ice and snow sports development plan which aims to involve 300 million people in ice and snow sports by 2025 and the IOC’s ‘agenda 2020’ to ensure there is real cost-benefit associated with hosting the games.

the ‘ice ribbon’ will join the iconic ‘bird’s nest’ and the ‘water cube’ in beijing