The opening ceremony of the 2017 National Games of China was held in the Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium last Sunday night. During these National Games, Tianjin University (TJU) participated in the architectural design, construction monitoring and structural health monitoring of 13 venues.
The 13th National Games opening and athletics events were held in the Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium. Professor Chen Zhihua and Ding Yang, both from Tianjin University, separately participated in the Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium’s steel structure detailed design and cast steel joint experiments.
The Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, one of Tianjin's prominent landmarks is colloquially referred to as the 'Water Drop' because the outside of the venue was designed to resemble a drop of water. The stadium has hosted games for many major sports competitions, such as the 2008 Summer Olympics, the 2012 National Games and the 2013 East Asian Games. The design concept originated from a dream of a dew drop a simple symbol of the source of life. Dew drops form on the earth, smoothly floating between heaven and earth, vitalizing the spirit of sport in the ancient Tianjin city.
Editors: Yin Shiyu and Ross Colquhoun