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HISTORY
Located at theOlympic Green, the stadium cost US$428
million. The design was awarded to a submission from the
Swiss architecture firmHerzog & de Meuronin April 2003 after
a bidding process that included 13 final submissions. The
design, which originated from the study ofChinese ceramics,
implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the
retractable roof; giving the stadium the appearance of abird's
nest. Leading Chinese artistAi Weiweiwas the artistic
consultant on the project.The retractable roof was later
removed from the design after inspiring the stadium's most
recognizable aspect. Ground was broken on 24 December
2003 and the stadium officially opened on 28 June 2008. A
shopping mall and a hotel are planned to be constructed to
increase use of the stadium, which has had trouble attracting
events,footballand otherwise, after the Olympics.
BIDDING
In 2001, before Beijing had been awarded the city held a
bidding process to select the best arena design. Multiple
requirements including the ability for post-Olympics use,
aretractable roof, and low maintenance costs, were required
of each design. The entry list was narrowed to thirteen final
designs. Of the final thirteen,Li Xinggangof China
Architecture Design and Research Group (CADG), said after he
placed the model of the "nest" proposal at the exhibition hall
and saw the rival entries he thought to himself, "We will win
this."The model was approved as the top design by a
professional panel; however, it was later exhibited for the
public. Once again, it was selected as the top design. The
"nest scheme" design became official in April 2003.
In an attempt to hide steel supports for the retractable roof, required in the
bidding process, the team developed the "random-looking additional steel" to
blend the supports into the rest of the stadium. Twenty-four trussed columns
encase the inner bowl,each one weighing 1,000tons. Despite the random
appearance of the Stadium, each half is nearly symmetrical.After a collapse
of a roof at theCharles de Gaulle Airport, Beijing reviewed all major projects.
It was decided to eliminate the retractable roof, the original inspiration for the
"nest" design, as well as 9,000 seats from the design. The removal of the
elements helped to bring the project under the reduced construction budget
of $290million, from an original $500million. With the removal of the
retractable roof, the building was lightened, which helped it stand up to
seismic activity; however, the upper section of the roof was altered to protect
fans from weather. Enerpacwas granted the contract to perform the stage
lifting and lowering of the stadium roof as part of the construction process.
Due to the stadium's outward appearance, it was nicknamed "The Bird's
Nest". The phrase was first used by Herzog & de Meuron, though the pair still
believes "there should be many ways of perceiving a building."The use is a
compliment Li explained, "In China, a bird's nest is very expensive, something
you eat on special occasions."