The 2008 Olympic Games burst into action this week in Beijing, China, taking place in some of the most extraordinary sporting venues ever built. Armstrong flooring and ceiling products are getting in the games, too, playing important design and performance positions in 11 Olympic venues including the Bird’s Nest – the innovative main arena – and the aquatic centre, nicknamed the Water Cube. In all, 140,600 square meters of Armstrong products cover floors and ceilings of the Olympic buildings. That’s equivalent to 112 Olympic size swimming pools.
"Armstrong is proud to have contributed to the Olympics with product in so many premier venues,” says Ken Chong, vice president – Armstrong North Asia. “The Armstrong China team hopes that Armstrong employees around the world can share our pride in these Olympics."
The Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube
Two of the most notable buildings – the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube – are getting media attention because of their original design.
The landmark National Stadium, dubbed the Bird’s Nest, is the main arena for the Games. It represents the traditional Chinese relationship with nature – it resembles a bird’s nest from the outside – combined with the contemporary spirit of this year’s Olympics. Inside the Bird’s Nest, 100,000 spectators will witness the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies, track and field competitions and soccer matches, and walk on our flooring.
Designers considered many flooring materials for the Bird’s Nest main lobby including epoxy, linoleum and PVC. Linoleum excelled in both fire and environmental performance. Although a competitor’s product was lower priced, Armstrong Marmorette linoleum won the job because of our reputation in China for quality and service excellence. Due to very tight timelines, it took outstanding global teamwork to meet the project’s delivery requirements.
The futuristic National Aquatics Centre, called the Water Cube, looks as if it is covered in semi-transparent, blue bubbles. The $150 million, 50,000 square meter structure, called “one of the most significant sports venues in the world” by Zheng Fang, a key architect for the building, features three Armstrong products.
Armstrong flooring and ceiling products are installed in the Water Cube offices and passageways. Armstrong Marmorette linoleum won the job here, too, after tests for performance and aesthetics.
Other Notable Olympic Venues with Armstrong Product
The Basketball Gymnasium was built with environmental conservation in mind. Armstrong’s Marmorette linoleum, made from renewable raw materials, and Accolade Plus resilient flooring with recycled PVC fit the bill. Three of the unusual-looking building’s seven levels are built underground for thermal efficiency; low-energy LED lights and a rainwater recycling system were installed to conserve energy and water.
The Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre, the National Convention Centre and the Beijing Olympic Broadcast Centre have installed thousands of square meters of Armstrong building products as well, including ANF and Classic Lite ceilings and Peakform grid. These HumiGuard-protected products perform well in areas with high humidity.
“This is a superb example of our flooring and building products divisions working together to deliver Armstrong products to a number of extensive, challenging and high visibility projects,” says Greg.
Click here to visit the official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
At-a-Glance:
Building
Basketball Gymnasium
• ACCOLADE Plus resilient
12,000
Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Center
TERRAZZ resilient
• ANF & Peakform 888
ceiling systems
40,000
Beijing Olympic Green Hockey Stadium
Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Center
Beijing Workers Gymnasium
National Aquatics Center (Water Cube) • MARMORETTE linoleum
• Dune & Suprafine ceiling
system
3,000
Laoshan Shooting Range Hall • Imperial Texture tile 1,400
National Convention Center
ceiling system
National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) • MARMORETTE linoleum
Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center
ceilings systems
Sports Center Training Gymnasium
Total Sq. Meters
ENDS
For further information on Armstrong Commercial Floors, please contact Tom Ferrell on
+31 (0)73 6270771 / +31 (0)611 625349 or email tferrell@armstrong.com
Notes to Editors
Armstrong Commercial Floors is part of Armstrong World Industries Inc, a global leader in the design and manufacture of floors, ceilings and cabinets. In 2006, the company consolidated net sales totalling approximately $3.4 billion.
The company operates 40 plants in 10 countries and has 13,000 employees worldwide.
Armstrong UK is based in Thornaby on Tees and has an annual turnover of approximately £18.2million. The UK division specialises in high quality resilient flooring for all applications
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