Beijing National Stadium

Beijing National Stadium

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http://flavorwire.com/167567/over-36-hours-later-chinese-artist-ai-weiwei-still-missing/

Beijing national stadium, which is also known as "The Bird's Nest" is one of the most famous sports buildings in the world .It is located at the Olympic Green, in the heart of Beijing.The design was awarded to a submission from the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in April 2003 after a bidding process that included 13 final submissions. The design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof; giving the stadium the appearance of a bird's nest. Leading Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was the artistic consultant on the project. The retractable roof was later removed from the design after inspiring the stadium's most recognizable aspect. The stadium is located in the Olympic Green and one of the main ideas behind the design was to create an icon for China and the city of Beijing. The shape was chosen so that it would express something related to the Chinese traditions and culture, thus tourists can understand more about these values; its circular form represents Heaven while the adjacent square resembles the Chinese symbol for Earth. In fact, the stadium grew to symbolize the entire city during the Summer Olympics of 2008, and it has remained a highly popular tourist attraction even after the Games, receiving thousands of visitors from abroad and across China every year. However, even though this stadium was a very famous tourist attraction, the flow of visitors gradually decreased.At the beginning the stadium was designed to accommodate 80,000 spectators. Then the capacity was increased to 91,000 seatsout of which 11,000 were temporary placed on the terrace of the top floor in front of the restaurants. To build the stadium, it took 17,000 workers and 44,000 tons of steel for the structure that rises six floors above the ground. Because of Beijing’s geological characteristics, the stadium was also conceived to withstand major earthquakes and has become structurally even more secure since it was decided not to proceed with a roof because of its cost. 

"Our goal was to create an architectural building that could be utilized after the 2008 Olympics," said the Herzog & De Meuron architect. To further celebrate the work a film was produced that narrates all the stages of the stadium construction. I find that China is taking this project seriously, despite the fact that the cost to build this stadium was indeed very high. 

Feelings 

The unique design of the stadium makes this stadium stand out as a genuine and true structure that takes its inspiration from traditional sources such as Chinese traditions and cultures, which turns this concept into a proper, 21st century building that combines contemporary architecture and technology with local beliefs and ideas. 

I find this design very interesting and special because this stadium is actually an icon for China and the city of Beijing, and the shape was chosen to express things related to Chinese values and cultures, thus I find this very unique and we can learn a lot from this just by looking at the shape and structure of this stadium. Also, the stadium was built to withstand an earthquake measuring up to 8 on the Richter scale. In addition, the building is protected from storms by absorbers. The building's plaited construction enables effective ventilation and allows rays of the sun to reach the stadium's grass playing surface. I find that the Chinese government is doing their best to protect not just the building , but also to protect us. I feel that China is being very careful and thoughtful as they even thought of this problem and at least tried ways it solve the problems and improve the building structure. From a distance this building looks like a colossal ship, but also like an immense nest and in which our minds can imagine China as a large bird that has just taken flight, gaining freedom perhaps. 

-Yeo Yu Zhen (23) 2E