fire engineering.
ENERGY. To maximize energy efficiency, the Water Cube acts as a greenhouse. The ETFE cushions allow high levels of natural daylight into the building and harness the sun to passively heat the building and pool water. This sustainable concept reduces the energy consumption of the leisure pool hall by an estimated 30 percent.
The system generates an effective negative U value, a net energy gain to the building. Thermal mass heat storage (in both the swimming pool water and heavy surfaces surrounding the pool) ensures that solar heating during the day is offset by overnight cooling.
Variation in shading of the facades ensures that fabric heat loads are minimized in summer but maximized in winter, when the solar heat gain is most beneficial. This is achieved by patterning the various layers of the facade with translucent painted frit and by ventilating the heat out of the cavity in summer, and containing it in winter. The location and pattern of these translucent elements respond to the daylight and thermal requirements of the various building uses adjacent to the facade.