CASE STUDY ON SPORTS COMPLEX

Beijing National Stadium

The Bird's Nest

Address: 1 National Stadium S Rd, Chaoyang Qu, China, 100101

Capacity: 80,000
Architectural style: Deconstructivism
Architects: Pierre de Meuron, Ai Weiwei, Jacques Herzog, Li Xinggang
Architecture firms: Herzog and de Meuron, ArupSport, China Architecture Design &
Research Group
Did you know: The Bird's Nest is approximately 1,082 feet long, 721 feet wide, and is 227
feet tall.

BACKGROUND

After China had been selected to be the Olympic host in 2001 (XXIX Olympiad 2008), Beijing
National Stadium was constructed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics. The massive
steel skeletons are bent as a tightly-knit grid for the complex geometry of the outer space to
create the illusion of the Bird’s Nest. The unique appearance created some challenges in making
the stadium feasible. people around the world witnessed the memorable opening and closing
ceremonies of the Olympic Games held in the stadium. Therefore, the reputation of China
depended on the success of the 2008 Olympic Games, and the success of the Beijing National
Stadium was a major part of that. The stadium was forced to be built on time, safely, within the
budget and to a high quality. Finishing the stadium before the Olympic Games was the major
factor of success, since the event could not be postponed, even by a day. Failure to meet the
deadline would reflect the capability of the government and the country’s image. In terms of
budget, the stadium faced a similar problem as other construction projects – that is, spending the
money over the preset budgets.