Saturday, August 9, 2008

Beijing's strange Olympic Stadium


Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron collaborated with Chinese artist Ai Weiwei to design the Beijing Olympic Stadium, the National Stadium.

The innovative Beijing Olympic Stadium, the National Stadium, is often called the Bird's Nest. Composed of a complex mesh of steel bands, the Beijing Olympic Stadium incorporates elements of Chinese art and culture.

Adjacent to the Beijing Olympic Stadium is another innovative new structure, the National Aquatic Centre, also known as the Water Cube.

Builders and Designers for the Beijing Olympic Stadium:

  • Herzog & de Meuron, architects
  • Ai Weiwei, Artistic Consultant
  • China Architecture Design & Research Group
Beijing National Stadium Statistics:
  • 36 km of unwrapped steel
  • 330 metres (1,082 feet) long
  • 220 metres (721 feet) wide
  • 69.2 metres (227 feet) tall
  • 258,000 square metres (2,777,112 square feet) of space
  • Usable area of 204,000 square metres (2,195,856 square feet)
  • Seating for up to 91,000 spectators during the Olympics. (Seating reduced to 80,000 after the Games.)
  • Construction cost approximately 3.5 billion yuan ($423 million USD)
(via About.com)

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