The Beijing Olympic Village, the No. 1 village in the world

Restroom in apartment building in Olympic Village

High-tech features enhance Olympic Village dormitory

There's more to the Olympic Village than meets the eye. Incorporated into the dormitory's design are high-tech elements and small details that reflect the designers' commitment to the environment, to security and to creating a user-friendly home for athletes and officials.

An efficient water recycling system will be used in the village. The system will collect and treat waste water, such as bath water, so that it can be reused in toilets, for watering the lawn or in air-conditioners. The "Green Olympics" theme can also be seen in street lamps and rubbish bins.

The dormitory uses newly developed wall material to ensure that the indoor temperature is favorable for residents during the winter and summer. Signs in the Village will be in Chinese and English. Spacious elevators are available even in buildings that are just six-floors high, providing ease of use for people with a disability.

Surveillance cameras have been placed in key spots, such as dormitory entries, elevators, main roads and parking lots. An advanced security system will guarantee the safety of all athletes and officials here.

Brief introduction

Management: Residential service centers

Round-the-clock bus service is available in the Village. The residential area is open to athletes, delegation officials, officials and staff. Visitors of delegations can enter the residential area only when they are accompanied by registered residents.

There are 42 buildings in the village. Athlete dormitories are permanent buildings that are six to nine floors high. The village has 9,000 rooms and can accommodate about 17,000 people at the same time. According to official data, 16,000 people will be staying at the Village during the Beijing Games.

All 42 buildings function as independent hotels, providing complete services for residents. Twelve residential service centers have been put in charge of managing all services and providing timely information to residents.

Among the 12 service centers is a general service center, a business center and a resident’s center. Residents will be able to meet with a consultant, issue a complaint, find repairmen and get laundry service at the general service center at any time. Fax and print services are available at the business center. Video games or internet are available in the resident’s center, which will be open from 8:00 a.m. to midnight.

There are 50 attendants working in every building -- 10 are employees from Olympic partner enterprises and the remaining 40 are volunteers. At present, working staffs in the Village comprises 2,100 members.

Beauty, flexibility and Chinese designs give character to the Village

With pebble pavement, green lawn and artificial hills, the residential area of the Olympic Village looks as attractive as some commercial real estate projects. In the dormitory, Chinese design elements can be seen almost everywhere -- from the dragon pattern on the door handle to the Chinese art hanging on the wall.

The dormitory has been designed to meet the housing requirements of Beijing residents after the Olympic Games. The dormitory is about 90 square meters, with one large bedroom and two normal-sized bedrooms. The standard bed in the dormitory is one meter wide and two meters long but can be lengthened if needed.

Because food will be supplied 24 hours a day during the Olympic Games, the dormitories currently do not have a kitchen. A drainange system and a gas pipe have been built into one of the small bedrooms, however, so that it can be converted into a kitchen when the Games are complete.

Hotel-like services will take care of all the needs of residents

The village is the same size as 108 hotels. Twelve domestic and overseas hotel management groups, including BTG, Jinjiang, Beichen and Shouchuang, have been approved to take part in the management of the Village. Volunteers and staff from colleges or international organizations have also been involved in the management of the Village.

The dormitory rooms contain two closets, two beds, a dresser and everything that a hotel room typically has. There is no TV set in the room but wireless internet is available. All bedding will be replaced every four days and a fresh towel will be provided every two days, although athletes and officials can have these replaced whenever they feel it is necessary. Drinkable water is available from a tap in the room at anytime.

“We know having a good rest is important for athletes, so we won’t knock on their doors or call them unless it’s really necessary. If they need something or our help, they can always find us through the phone in their rooms or the calling system,” one of the attendants explained. “Volunteers here are from key national colleges. All of them have passed CET-4. They can communicate with foreign athletes without any difficulty.”

Furniture is built for comfort

All furniture in the dormitory is specially designed to be comfortable for all people, including persons with a disability. The height of beds can be adjusted and conference room tables have been built so that wheelchair users can sit at them comfortably.

All furniture has been especially made for the Olympic Village but few pieces are permanently owned by the Village. Many of the pieces have been rented to the Village by suppliers or are under a repurchase agreement. This is done to guarantee that furniture will continue to be used after the Olympics are complete.