Photograph of the H3O stadium by PTW

In China, they want to avoid having to rush to complete their stadiums just hours before the Olympic Games, as happened in Turin or Athens. They even wish to be finished with construction a year in advance. The national swimming stadium from the Australian firm PTW is slowly taking on its façade. An irregular steel spatial structure is being created with the help of engineers from Ove Arup. They not only take care of the construction stand but also the heating method for the building. 90 percent of the solar energy that hits the building is captured in the structural zone of the envelope and then further used for heating the pools and interiors. The façade, reminiscent of soap bubbles, consists of cushions made of ETFE foil. Photos from the construction - here.
Otherwise, the American magazine Architectural Record published an analysis stating that in 2004, China consumed 54.7% of the total world production of concrete and 36.1% of steel.