Earlier this month, Brazil officially unveiled its Olympic Aquatics Stadium for the Rio 2016 Games, with a structural emphasis on sustainability.
Rio2016.com has more specifics and some great shots of the Olympic swimming venue itself here.
The facility, which will host swimming and water polo events at this summer’s Olympic Games, was built to be eventually broken down and reconstructed into two smaller aquatics facilities after the Olympic wrap up. Often, the high standards required for Olympic venues leave host nations with giant luxurious stadiums sitting empty once the Olympics leave – Rio should have more opportunity to utilize the resources put into the pool environment through two smaller sites.
Another interesting tidbit: the facility is built to reduce energy usage through natural ventilation – 15,000 tiny holes were drilled into the structure, accounting for the typical day-time temperatures during the weeks of the Olympics in order to keep the facility at a reasonable temperature. The drilled holes should help air flow inside the aquatic center.
The arena will hold just under 15,000 spectators. The first test event took place earlier this month, with Brazil’s national championship meet, also known as the Maria Lenk Trophy. A water polo test event also wrapped up yesterday.
