Bird's Nest Stadium

The Beijing National Stadium, or bird's nest, will be the central location for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The government received many entrees for design. Thirteen designs were showcased in Beijing for public vote. Of those, three designs entered the final competition. The design from a Swiss-based architecture firm that collaborated with China's Institute of Architecture Design and Research won. While most comments are positive, some residents feel it seems "messy and incomprehensible." Another worrisome item was the "disproportionate" cost of the retractable roof, which would have taken up one-eight of the total cost. They decided to omit that feature.



It's nick-name "bird's nest" came from the media who felt that it did indeed look like a birds nest. This look is caused by curved steel-net walls that function to integrate the stairs, walls and roof into one system. The stadium covers and area of over 140,000 square meters an will hold up to 100,000 spectators. Its construction is budgeted at almost 450 million USD. Considering its size, it is an environmentally conscience building. Some of it's "green" features include: rainwater collection system, translucent roof providing sunlight to the grass, and a natural ventilation system. Inflated cushions will be installed inside the structure to provide protection from the weather. The lobby will have restaurants and shops.






During the Olympics it will be the site of the Opening and Closing ceremonies, as well as all track and field events. After the Olympics it will be used for national and international sporting events and cultural activities.