The National Aquatics Center, nicknamed the 'Water Cube,' is a green building which emphasizes a water-saving design made out of material that called ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluorethylene). The venue as a whole saves 140,000 tons of recycled water a year. The swimming and diving events in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games will be held at the Water Cube

The Laoshan Velodrome is a new venue for the track cycling events at the Olympics. Also called the 'Flying Saucer,' it features a 250m-long, all-weather, wooden cycle track. A round scuttle in the central area of the roof is able to use solar energy for lighting and diffuses sunlight to avoid light spots on the track. After the Olympics, it will become a a training base for international teams as well.

The Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park in Beijing's Shunyi District will host the rowing, canoe/kayak - flat water, canoe/kayak - slalom, and marathon swimming events. It is the first rowing venue that contains both flatwater and slalom courses

The Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Court features a flower-shaped design that enhances natural ventilation. The center's three main courts are dodecagonal with each of the 12 sides as stands that are meant to form a lotus flower.

The China Agricultural University Gymnasium is primarily the Olympic wrestling venue and is in the middle of the college campus. It can house 8,500 people and will also be used for the volleyball competition in the Paralympic Games following the Summer Games in September

The Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium features three floors underground and four floors above ground where the basketball competition will be held. Designers of the building implemented a rainwater recycling system, easy-to-clean glass and other technologies to follow the motto of 'Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics, and People's Olympics.' The building can be illuminated in different colors and features China's first high-definintion LED display.

Beijing's Shooting Range Hall was the first new venue to be 'delivered,' ready for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It will host a total of 10 shooting events and halls that can host 10m, 25m, and 50m target ranges. The design of the Shooting Range Hall was meant to reflect the shape of a hunting bow, and inside takes into consideration the origins of the sport of shooting, hunting in the forests.

Located on the Olympic Green, the National Indoor Stadium was designed to feature an unfurled Chinese fan and has a 19,000 square meter glass curtain wall with low-emissivity glass, which provides insulation and improves energy efficiency by reducing the transfer of heat through the glass. The Low-E glass is also a filter for UV rays. The stadium also has a hidden solar photovoltaic system that uses 1,124 solar panels and are able to produce 100 kilowatts of energy per day, which is enough to light the stadium during the day to reduce the stress on Beijing's system. Gymnastics, trampoline, and handball events will be held there.

The host for the badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events of the Olympics will be the Beijing University of Technology (BUT) Gymnasium. The BUT is the only Olympic venue located in Beijing's southeastern area, and set a world record for the largest prestressed suspension dome ceiling 93 meters in diameter. The BUT gym has a number of the environmental friendly developments that other venues have such as rainwater recycling, and ground source heating.

Colorful lights lit up the National Stadium, also known as the 'Bird's Nest,' at the Olympic Green in Beijing. The stadium will serve as the main venue of the Olympics, and also hosts the football events. Like the Water Cube, the Bird's Nest is also covered in a green-friendly membrane. It creates a soundproof, wind-proof, rain-proof, and UVA protected environment. The membrane also helps to eliminate glare and shadowing within the stadium.

Table tennis will be played at the Peking University Gymnasium (PKG) and it is the first time that the Olympic Table Tennis competition will be held at a venue dedicated to the sport. There is room for eight tables, but after the Olympics, the building will be used as a comprehensive facility for table tennis, handball, basketball, badmiton, volleyball, and sports training and physical education conventions.

Beijing's University of Science and Technology (USTB) Gymnasium features fiber optic light pipes that, on days with strong sunlight, can meet the lighting needs for sports training in the gym. At night the pipes can transmit light through the gymnasium's roof. With a swimming pool and a main gymnasium area, the building also has a solar-powered hot water system, an adjustable frequency air conditioning system, and a reclaimed water system.

All Photos CSM