WATERCUBE The Book

WATERCUBE: The Book is a complete monographic publication about the National Swimming Center for the Beijing Olympics 2008. With an exhaustive description about the Watercube we present a detailed study of the project. The book makes an holistic approach to the project that starts with a brief description of urban and social changes that China has been experienced in the last decade. These facts have encouraged the construction boom that made possible these kind of projects occur in cities like Beijing.

Supported on a detailed processing of the information provided by the designers (graphics, images, CAD drawings) we have arranged a better presentation of the project: starting with the competition, going through a complete overview about the design process and fi nally explaining the building structure through the
construction and the sustainable premises that make the Watercube such a spectacular building. In words of Chris Bosse, one of the architects of the design team this book would be “The best and most profound publication of the Watercube ever.”

For the content we have succeeded in obtain the valuable collaboration of some experts that make most complete the overview about the building:
- For the Introduction we have a text from Professor Denis Wearie, who is the author of the Weaire- Phelan Theory –the basis of the structure design-.
- For the building chapter, Architect Matteo Cainer (Assistant director at the Venice Biennale 2004, where the Watercube won the Atmosphere Award) had written a text about the importance of the building in the context of the Biennale, the biggest architecture exhibition.
- For the skin chapter I had the assistance of Angus MacLeod from Vector Foiltec, the company that is working to make the building cladding with ETFE.
- For the Social Responsibility subject at the sustainable premises chapter, I have text and images from a British photojournalist, Gemma Thorpe, based and working in Beijing at the momento of the construction.

Last year Ethel Baraona made a personal interview to Chris Bosse when he was an associate at PTW architects in Sydney, where he was fundamental in developing the Watercube in Beijing among several other international projects. This German architect has based his work on the computational study of organic structures and resulting spatial conceptions.

dpr_editorial is a young and independent publishing company based in Barcelona, specialized in high quality architecture and design books. Focused on the work of emerging architects and designers and their innovative buildings and projects. With an international scope and founded by two architects, our catalogue will vary from monographs and documentation of buildings to historical studies. All of
dpr_editorial books are product of a creative exchange between publisher, author and designer and with the collaboration of some experts that make most complete the overview about each project.