National Stadium

The National Stadium in Beijing is part of the Olympic complex known as Olympic Green. It is located at the end of a monumental urban axis that runs through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The stadium was built for the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Due to its shape, it is often nicknamed the "Bird's Nest."
In 2001, Beijing was chosen as the host city for the 2008 Summer Olympics. After this controversial decision by the Olympic Committee, the city leadership began searching for the best architectural designs for the future stadiums. The architects of the National Stadium were selected in an international competition. In April 2003, the project by the Swiss firm of Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron was declared the best of 13 competing designs. After the first round assessed by a professional jury, the projects were presented to the public at a joint exhibition. The design was also successful in public opinion.
The original design, inspired by traditional Chinese ceramics, was reworked over time. The most notable change was the removal of the retractable roof, which allowed the extraordinary bearing structure of the stadium to stand out more, making the stadium resemble a bird's nest rather than a ceramic vessel. In addition to Herzog & de Meuron (the main architect of the project was Stefan Marbach), the project was developed with the involvement of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and the offices of ARUP and CADG (China Architectural Design & Research Group). During consultations on the design, several main theses were proclaimed – the building was to be a formal deviation from the Swiss firm's portfolio, it was to be porous-permeable, it was to express the spirit of collectivism, and it was to be a common vessel.
The structure of the stadium is partially made of reinforced concrete and partially of steel. The steel outer structure protecting the red reinforced concrete block with the stands and facilities of the stadium is the largest of its kind in the world (110,000 tons of steel). The roof of the stadium is supported by 24 truss columns, each weighing over 1,000 tons. Regularly spaced nearly identical columns are artistically hidden in the steel chaos of bracing diagonals, so their position is not apparent at first or second glance. The main task of the columns was to support the retractable roof. After the accident at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, all Olympic constructions in Beijing were subjected to review, and it was decided to cancel the retractable roof for the National Stadium. Likewise, the number of seats was reduced from 100,000 to 91,000. Thanks to these cuts, the stadium today appears more airy and has better seismic properties – the weight of the built-in steel was reduced by 12,000 tons. It has been calculated that the costs for the realization of the National Stadium reached only 10% of the costs typical in the West. 17,000 workers were involved in the construction. In May 2008, 7,811 m² of grass carpet was laid in the stadium in just one day. Rainwater from the roof of the stadium is collected in an underground reservoir, from where it is used for irrigation of vegetation in and around the stadium after purification. The area of the sports ground is heated in winter or cooled in summer.
The National Stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games. All athletic competitions and the final of the football tournament took place here. After the Olympic Games (August 8-24, 2008), it will serve the needs of the Paralympic Games (September 6-17, 2008). After the Olympics, most of the stadium's facilities will be converted into a shopping center complemented by a hotel. From the hotel rooms, there will be a direct view of the sports ground. This step aims to increase the usage of the building after the Games. The sports area will primarily be used for football matches. The seating capacity will be reduced to 80,000 seated spectators. The farthest seat from the center of the sports ground is 140 meters away.