Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium

Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium or Wukesong Indoor Stadium, the venue for basketball preliminaries and finals in the Olympic, is a gymnasium has three floors underground and four floors above ground. The gymnasium has the capacity for 18,000 spectators. The venue covers an area of 168,000 sq m. It is located at Wukesong Culture and Sports Center of Beijing. The venue is clearly divided into areas for the athletes, the spectators, the media, and the organization.

Architecture
The funnel-shaped LED display system is the most eye-catchy feature of the gymnasium. The system not only meets the standards for basketball games, but it could also be used for theatrical performances, real-time broadcasts and background imagery. For adding comfort and convenience to audience seats, all the seats have been upholstered. The second floor is equipped with 45 luxury boxes. 29 of these are larger ones while 16 are smaller. Rainwater recycling system, easy-to-clean glass and other technologies have been adopted in the making of the gymnasium.

The building looks like a collosal gold bar from afar. But from close quarters, one could see individual yellow-colored columns. They color scheme fills the people with optimism and vibrancy. The exterior of the gymnasium is made of aluminum alloy boards and is capable of reflecting 80 percent of the heat generated by the infrared waves. The alloy boards are capable of saving upto 70 per cent energy. The gymnasium took more than two years in the making.

Seating System
Four entrances are available for the public to walk into the match site directly on the first floor and special zones have been earmarked for the disabled. The chairs are designed to enable the viewers sit for a long time.