Water Cube closes for major facelift

The National Aquatics Center, better known as the Water Cube, will undergo a closed-door facelift over the next few months to build a number of recreational amenities for the public, including a 10,000-square-meter water playground.

Operators of the center said the reconstruction is necessary to sustain the Water Cube's post-Olympics popularity and meet public demands clamoring for more water recreation.

It is also hoping to increase revenue. Since the center's official opening last October, public ticket sales have contributed about 70 percent of its total revenue.