Beijing National Stadium

Beijing National Stadium

Bird's Nest
Location	Beijing, China
Owner	Government of the People's Republic of China
Operator	PRC
Capacity	91,000
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	December 2003
Construction cost	3.5 billion yuan (~USD $423 million)
Architect	Herzog & de Meuron ArupSport CAG
Tenants
Chinese Olympic Committee 2008 Summer Olympics

The Beijing National Stadium (simplified Chinese: 北京国家体育场; traditional Chinese: 北京國家體育場; pinyin: Běijīng Guójiā Tǐyùchǎng), also known as the National Stadium (国家体育场), or colloquially as the "Bird's Nest" (鸟巢) for its architecture, is a stadium in the Olympic Green in Beijing, China that was completed in March 2008. The stadium hosted the main track and field competitions for the 2008 Summer Olympics, the opening and closing ceremonies and the men's football gold medal match. It is located east of the Beijing National Aquatics Center. The Stadium now holds the Olympic Flame cauldron, which is shaped as a conical scroll. The cauldron was placed on the top during the opening ceremony, so that it could then be lit at the end of the ceremony. The flame remained there until the end of the 2008 Games.

Design

Model of the Bird's Nest

In 2002, Government officials engaged architects worldwide in a design competition. Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron collaborated with ArupSport and China Architecture Design & Research Group to win the competition. The ground was broken on Christmas Eve, 2003, and construction started in March 2004. Construction was halted following the collapse of Terminal 2E at Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport, which had a similar design to the National Stadium. After modifications to the design, construction recommenced. In January 2008, concerns about construction working conditions arose when it was claimed there were at least 10 deaths during construction. Beijing officials have stated there were 2 deaths in the construction of the stadium, with 1 serious injury and 3 light injuries.

Specifications

The stadium currently has a seating capacity of 80,000. The capacity was reduced from 91,000 after the Olympic Games. The stadium is 330 metres (1,082 ft) long by 220 metres (721 ft) wide, and is 69.2 metres (227 ft) tall. The stadium uses 258,000 square metres (2,777,112 square feet) of space and has a usable area of 204,000 square metres (2,195,856 square feet). It was built with 36 km (22.4 miles) of unwrapped steel, with a combined weight of 45,000 tonnes (49,600 tons). The stadium will cost up to 3.5 billion yuan ($423 million or €340 million).

South view of the Stadium, May 2008.

Gallery

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  Stadium under construction
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  Stadium under construction
• Stadium under construction
  Stadium under construction
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  Stadium under construction
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  Stadium interior
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  2008 Olympic Games' Opening Ceremony
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  2008 Olympic Games' Opening Ceremony
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  During the 2008 Olympic Games
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  Model of Olympic village showing various stadia
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  President Bush in the Bird's Nest
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  The Olympic Torch (from outside)
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  The Olympic Torch (from inside)
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  The Olympic Torch (from inside)
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  During the Games
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  During the Games
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  During the Games
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  External view
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  Steps inside the stadium
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  The stadium behind the Water Cube
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  Indoor track events on August 16 2008

See also

• Beijing Olympic Village
• Beijing National Indoor Stadium

External links

• Design competition finalists
• National Geographic Channel - videos and photos
• Design partner project site
• Arthur Lubow (2006-05-21). "The China Syndrome". The New York Times Magazine. Details the architect's experience working on the stadium.
• Details of current construction
• Construction update by BCI Asia
• Stadium on Google Maps
• Hydraulics helps the Beijing’s “Bird’s Nest” to stand on its own feet
• Bird’s Nest; Herzog & de Meuron in China Documentary DVD
• Gallery
• Gallery, building, fireworks, daytime

• Goldberger, Paul (June 2, 2008), "Out of the Blocks", The New Yorker

39°59′30″N 116°23′26″E