Birds Nest Stadium: A Marvel Of Modern Architecture

The 2008 Summer Olympics were memorable for many reasons but at the center of all

the grandeur of the opening ceremony was the centre piece of Chinas handy work - the Birds Nest stadium.

Referred to as the National Stadium and fondly called by locals as the Birds Nest, this stadium was constructed with the primary focus of being able to stage the Olympic and Para Olympic Games of that year.

The stadium is currently the largest structure constructed using steel in the world, while the total amount that went into the construction costed over US$ 400 million. Over 13 submissions were put forward to bid for the construction of the stadium and the Herzog and de Meuron Company beat the competition hollow with their design of a birds nest.

The design initially came from research that was being done into Chinese ceramics, the stadium maintains its bird nest like appearance through beams of steel that have been used to hide the stadiums retractable roof. However, the retractable roof was removed when the shape of the design provoked the idea of a birds nest. In 2003 work commenced and it was opened officially in June 2008.

The inner circular potion of the stadiums called the inner bowl is sheltered using twenty four columns, while each one weighs about 1,000 tons. It is said that each part of the stadium is identical to the other. The retractable roof came off after the team behind the design of the stadium looked into all the safety aspects of the stadium.

The removal of the roof saved the company over 200 million dollars, and enabled the building which was lighter to withstand seismic activity. However the inner roof of the stadium was modified to protect those in the stadium from exposure to the elements.

The stadiums quaint design has attrcated many tourists since the end of the Olympics and has left an impression. Tourists flock to the Birds Nest stadium by the thousands. Plans are underway to construct a mall and a hotel as well within the stadium in order to attract many more visitors.

It is estimated that the maintenance of the venue amounts to over nine million dollars a year. The parent company behind the stadium is focusing mainly on means of attracting more tourists and looking to target events in the sport and entertainment industry.

Stay at a hotel in Beijing that is near to the Central Business District such as the Raffles Beijing Hotel, China, and enjoy access to the rich diversity of locations in the country. The hotel accommodation Beijing is just a few minutes from the Forbidden City, Silk Market and even Tiananmen Square offering guests the best of location and luxury in one venue.

by: Pushpitha Wijesinghe

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