Now that the Olympics are done and gone, the cheers for the athletes have long since died away, the glamour and the glory have merely become faded memories, there remains a building that was the centerpiece of the Olympic games.  It is called the ‘Water Cube’ where the Olympic pool was housed, which hosted all the swimming and diving events at the 2008 Bejing games. What makes this building so unique is not so much the way it looks, although it looks unlike anything else on the planet. Instead, the way it was constructed, the energy saved, and its entire green aspect are noteworthy. It is made with a substance called ETFE or Tefzel, and is classified as a lightweight polymer foil. To a layperson like you or me, just think of it as giant sized bubble wrap, because that is almost exactly what it looks like.
As far as energy savings, here are some numbers to ponder. A similar sized glass building would take roughly, 200 times more energy to fabricate and construct, would cost about twice to build because of all the added framework involved. Plus, because ETFE is essentially giant sized captured air bubbles, a wall of this stuff has the same insulation properties as 2 triple glazed layers of glass!
The stuff is tough, too. Because Teflon is a cousin, rain, snow dirt and grime literally slide off of any building made from ETFE. A quick hose down or a good rain will make it look as good as new every time. It takes a tremendous amount of heat to make it burn, and when it does burn, it releases zero toxic fumes into the atmosphere. It is completely shatterproof, is not affected by ultraviolet sunlight, and if, by chance, it gets punctured, it is an easy fix. Just heat weld a patch or a panel over the tear, and you are good to go.
Look for ETFE to become a major replacement for glass buildings in the future. There are already plans for sports stadiums, enclosed Amazonian rain forests, and various leisure parks, all to be made with ETFE.
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