The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic GamesAugust 8-24 2008
(BEIJING, December 9) -- From afar, Peking University Gymnasium (PKG) looks as though it has inherited a very similar look to the other buildings on campus. But up close, the gymnasium's uniqueness stands out. A transparent spherical shape protrudes from the center of the rooftop, with two "wings" circumventing it -- as if a ping pong ball ready to bounce off the roof.
PUG's suspended steel lattice shell roof, one of the more complicated roof structures among the Olympic venues, spans 64 meters and has two hyperbolic surfaces.
The glass sphere on the rooftop can open like a window to provide natural ventilation and lighting for everyday purposes at the venue. The rooftop ridge of Peking University Gymnasium is dubbed "China Ridge."
