Now repurposed and renamed the Ice Cube for the Olympics and Paralympics, the swimming pool that Michael Phelps and company made the hottest place to be during the summer of 2008 has turned ice cold. So cold that it's now a curling rink. 

How the Beijing National Aquatics Centre made this transformation into one of the four venues used for both the Summer and Winter Olympics is a story in sustainability and architectural innovation. To find out more about the 'Water Cube' turning into the 'Ice Cube' we turned to Yang Qiyong, the venue’s general manager.

“For the preparation of the 2022 Games, we used a strategy we call water-to-ice conversion. We built the ice rink on top of the pool,” Qiyong said. “After the Games, we will make use of the conversion of water and ice for different sports events.”

The process of turning this swimming pool into the ice sheet used for the Olympic Games took about 20 days. For those looking to soon swim a few laps, Yang says by the end of March they’ll convert the venue back to a swimming pool. 

Between the Paralympics and opening back up as a public swimming pool, the Ice Cube will be running students through curling courses (and introducing them to the sport's colourful language such as the House and the Hurry, Hoglines and the Hammer).

It's all part of China's push to get more people into winter sports. 

"We see huge potential for this sport in China," Qiyong said. "We have long term plans to develop it. The National Aquatics Venue will be the driving force for this sport to develop here."

This venue adaptability follows the sustainability and legacy model major event organisers are actively pursuing. It’s such a key priority for staging an Olympics that it’s a core part of the hosting bid process, one that the International Olympic Committee considers a third pillar of the Games alongside sport and culture. 

“At the Water Cube, this is nothing for show – we are always thinking about sustainability,” Qiyong said. “The message is sustainability, legacy. The (Water Cube) has already established itself as an iconic building and a well-known brand name.”

Inspired by the natural formation of soap bubbles, the venue’s structure creates an aesthetically unique appearance. The design lends to the building’s energy efficiency, too, as the transparent panels bring natural light in. Incoming solar energy is then trapped to help heat the facility, with the venue architects claiming a 30 percent reduction in the building’s energy use. 

Back on the ice with medals on the line, Italy, Sweden and Great Britain took the three Olympic golds up for grabs. Since curling first joined the Olympic programme at the Nagano 1998 Games, Canada leads the all-time curling medals table. In Beijing, Canada took home their lone medal, a bronze in the men’s curling competition. 

Now, with the Beijing 2022 Games done Olympic flame extinguished at the adjacent National Stadium – affectionately known as the Bird’s Nest and also used at both the 2008 and 2022 Games – Qiyong and his team are hard at work. They have a short window between the conclusion of the Games to get the venue ready for the Paralympic curlers.

“The first transition we have to do is for the ice – for the wheelchair curlers,” Qiyong said. “We have to remove the logo and replace it with the Paralympic Games logo on the ice surface. Many signs will have to be replaced. We have about 10 days for the transition period, which is long enough.”

The Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games gets underway with the opening ceremonies on March 4th. At the house that swimmers made famous back in the summer of 2008, the curling competition kicks off one day later.