Beijing Stadium

To begin with, we have chosen to present as a touristic objective the National Stadium of Beijing because it represents the modern history due to it's architectural features.

As many of us know, it's retractable roof gives the stadium the appearance of a bird's nest, being it's most recognizable aspect, but nevertheless we must add the detail that it's design originates from the Chinese Ceramics.

First of all we have to mention that it was built with the purpose of hosting the Summer Olympics and Paralimpics of 2008. The ground was broken in 24th of december 2003 and the stadium officially opened in 28th of June 2008.

Beijing National Stadium facts:

Stadium Name : Beijing National Stadium

Address: Beijing National Stadium, Olympic Green, China

Built: 2007

Capacity: 91,000

Gross floor area: 2,58,000 m2

Structure: 36 km of unwrapped steel length

Height: 69,2 m above pitch level

Designer: Jaques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron along with Arup Sport and China Architecture Design & Research Group

The capacity of the Beijing National Stadium is of 91,000 spectators during the Summer Games. However, after the games, the capacity is reduced to 80,000 spectators. It is believed to be the world’s largest enclosed space.  

Location of the Beijing National Stadium

The stadium is located at the Olympic Green in Beijing in the Chaoyang district. 

Description of the Beijing National Stadium

The construction of the stadium started in March, 2004. The estimated cost in building this National Olympic Stadium comes to be around $500,000,000.

The National Olympic Stadium has a synergistic appearance. The superstructure has been made following the model designed. The structure of the stadium is built with 36 kilometer of unwrapped steel. The huge steel beams mutually support each other and converge into a grid-like formation. The formation looks like a bird's nest with the interwoven twigs. For this reason, the Beijing National Stadium is also known as the Bird's Nest'. The stadium, in every sense, is the historical landmark for the Summer Games of 2008. The lobby of the stadium includes all the facilities: restaurants, suites, shops and restrooms. All these facilities are self-contained units in the stadium. The lobby functions like an arcade.

The National Stadium (Olympic Green) is better known as Beijing National Stadium. This National Stadium is the main track and field stadium for the Beijing Summer Games 2008. This stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the twenty-ninth Summer Games. The stadium is the venue of the athletics and football events during the Games. The National Stadium is being built at the intended location of the Guangdong Olympic Stadium. The stadium meets all the functional and technical requirements of an Olympic National Stadium.

Design ensures that all spectators are as close as possible to the action and have clear sight lines.

The sliding roof was an integral part of the stadium structure. When it was to be closed, it would have converted the stadium into a covered arena; however, the sliding roof was eliminated in an effort to cut costs and increase overall safety of the radical new structure.

The circular shape of the stadium represents heaven.The building’s dynamic form creates a new icon for China and the city of Beijing.