China has officially opened its National Aquatics Center, nicknamed the "Water Cube" for its unique design.

The official Web site of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games said it took over four years to complete the construction. According to the press release:

The NAC's Games-time construction area is close to 80,000 square meters, containing 17,000 standard seats, including 6,000 permanent seats and 11,000 temporary ones. During the 2008 Olympic Games, it will produce 42 gold medals in swimming, diving and synchronized swimming.
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On January 31, the NAC will host its first Good Luck Beijing sport event -- the 2008 Swimming China Open.

The iconic Olympics venue features a clear surface made out of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) plastic films. Officials said it's the first of its kind in China and the largest and most complicated membrane system in any single project in the world.

The Water Cube is also the only Olympic venue funded by $110 million in donations from ethnic Chinese living outside mainland China.

Plastics News has reported on the innovative use of plastic material in the Water Cube in a previous story Water Cube structure features ETFE foil membranes.

Photos courtesy of the Beijing Olympic Games official Web site.