ABSTRACT
There were many who questioned the award of the 2008 Summer Games to Beijing, citing China’s well-documented human rights abuses. Air pollution in the city was also a serious concern. The Chinese government responded by restricting manufacturing in the area and reducing the number of cars on the streets.
A massive investment and urban renewal project was launched. The existing National Olympics Sports Centre was extended to form the largest Olympic Park to date, international design competitions for several of the venues were held. Thirteen design proposals for the new main stadium were shortlisted: the winner came from a multinational team made up of China Architecture Design and Research Group, architects Herzog & de Meuron and local artist Ai Weiwei. Structural design was by Arup.
Original plans for a sliding roof had to be abandoned due to cost. This simplified the seismic design – Beijing is located in one of world’s most active seismic zones.
Swiftly dubbed ‘the Bird’s Nest Stadium’, the complex external steel structure with its curves and straight line was fabricated from a standard steel box section. The concrete central bowl was formed from six separate segments with individual stability systems and movement joints.
In 2022 the stadium will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics, making it the only stadium so far to host such ceremonies for both Summer and Winter Games.
