Nicolas Godelet : Ski Jump - Pékin

Nicolas Godelet, an architect from Wallonia, will leave his mark on Beijing, where he has been working for around twenty years. Recently, he has been selected to take part in the development of a new city, as well as the construction of one of the stadiums for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Big Air (ski jump) project in Shougang is located at the south-west corner of Kunming Lake. Construction was completed on 31 October 2019. It is the only new outdoor sports infrastructure that has been built in the city for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

It is unique because of the integration of traditional Chinese elements into its architecture, as well as an innovative structural system that ties in with the spirit of the Olympics.

Furthermore, this is an ambitious project to transform industrial heritage. It aims to revitalise civilian life at a century-old steel mill, reconnect the city to the Yongding River and rejuvenate the run-down natural environment. The Big Air Shougang plan connects the site of the Winter Olympics with the transformation of a key portion of the former steel mill, focusing on the cooling towers, an oxygen-production plant and a cooling pond.

In addition to this project, he is working on renovating industrial heritage (Shougang), bridges and walkways (Xi'an and Guangdong), the new Belgian embassy in Beijing with his Brussels-based colleagues from AgwA, a park and the regeneration of biotopes therein, depolluting heavily polluted soils, a new furniture range, two monumental sculptures (Qatar and Hainan) and private residences.