Beijing Winter Olympic Village ready to open its doors

The Winter Olympic Village is designed to provide athletes and officials with a safe and comfortable stay in the capital. [Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]

Eco-friendly

The village's reception center, situated to the west of the residential zone, was rebuilt on the site of an abandoned factory, with its main structure, walls and beams reused to create a large space for security checks, body temperature monitoring, accreditation services, check-in and media operations.

Facilitated by 5G internet and artificial intelligence technology, self-navigating robots have been tested to provide concierge services, refreshments and disinfection in the lobby.

According to the village's owner, Beijing Investment Group Co, all the permanent buildings within the complex have passed the highest three-star certification for green construction with the recycling of materials, energy saving and environmental protection prioritized throughout the whole process of development.

The internal decoration of the apartment buildings has also met the globally recognized WELL Building Standard, paying extra attention to residents' health through careful consideration of air quality, water, lighting and space.

A smart housing control system has been installed in each of the apartments, allowing athletes and officials, especially para-sports athletes, to control lights, air conditioners and curtains in their rooms by using a phone app.

The system also features self-adjusting functions to keep room temperature and brightness within a comfortable range to avoid unnecessary energy consumption, said Lin Bin, a staff member of the village operational team.

"The smart system was developed especially to cater to the needs of all the Paralympic athletes," said Li. "With service robots also to be deployed in the residential area, para-sports athletes can use a smartphone app to navigate through the village, where barrier-free facilities have been installed."

During the Paralympic Winter Games, which run from March 4-13, the Beijing village will provide 1,040 beds to accommodate a smaller group of residents.

In every bedroom, an emergency button is positioned just above the night stand, while the indoor wardrobe adopts a push-open door. Each bathroom features non-slip flooring, a toilet with handrails on both sides and a roll-in shower.

Similar to Beijing 2022's competition venues, the Olympic Village will be transformed to serve residential and commercial functions in the local community.

Qu Chen, a project manager with Beijing Investment Group, said that Beijing will offer the village as public rental housing to young professionals after the Olympics.

Following the 2008 Games, the Olympic Village apartments were sold on the residential market.