Beijing National Stadium (Bird’s Nest), Beijing, China
Beijing National Stadium, Beijing, China was built to host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and track & field athletic events of the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Paralympics. Located at the Olympic Green, the stadium cost US $428 million.
The stadium was a joint venture among architects Jacques Herzog & Pierre de Meuron, project architect Stefan Marbach, artist Ai Weiwei, and the China Architectural Design & Research Group led by chief architect Li Xinggang. Tasked with designing a new concept that was “porous” while also being “a collective building, a public vessel”, the team studied Chinese ceramics and implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof. This line of thought brought the team to the “nest scheme”. The stadium consists of two independent structures, standing 50 feet apart: a red concrete seating bowl and the outer steel frame around it.
Due to the stadium’s outward appearance, it was nicknamed “The Bird’s Nest”. The use is a compliment Li explained, “In China, a bird’s nest is very expensive, something you eat on special occasions.” The stadium continues to host sporting events and a shopping mall and a hotel, with rooms overlooking the field, are planned to help increase use after the Olympics.