Beijing National Stadium

Architecture Skyscrapers: Beijing National Stadium. Beijing National Stadium, also known officially as the National Stadium, or colloquially as the Bird's Nest (鸟巢), is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

Located in the Olympic Green, the stadium cost US$423 million. 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".  The retractable roof was later removed from the design after inspiring the stadium's most recognizable aspect. The entry list was narrowed to thirteen final designs. Once again, it was selected as the top design. Beijing National Stadium (BNS) was a joint venture among architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron of Herzog & de Meuron, project architect Stefan Marbach, artist Ai Weiwei, and CADG which was led by chief architect Li Xinggang. "China wanted to have something new for this very important stadium," Li stated. The stadium consists of two independent structures, standing 50 feet apart: a red concrete seating bowl and the outer steel frame around it.

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. Despite random appearance, each half of the stadium is nearly identical. It was decided to eliminate the retractable roof, the original inspiration for the "nest" design, as well as 9,000 seats from the design. Due to the stadium's outward appearance, it was nicknamed "The Bird's Nest". Ground was broken, at the Olympic Green, for Beijing National Stadium on 24 December 2003. Portraits of 143 migrant workers at the construction site were featured in the book Workers (Gong Ren) by artist Helen Couchman. Beijing National Stadium officially opened at a ceremony on 28 June 2008.

A 24-hour per day rainwater collector is located near the stadium; after water is purified, it is used throughout and around the stadium. The stadium's design originally called for a capacity of 100,000 people; however 9,000 were removed during a simplification of the design. Beijing National Stadium hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletic events, and football final of the 2008 Summer Olympics from 8 August to 24 August 2008. Though designed for track & field events of the Olympics, the stadium will continue to host sporting events, such as football, afterwards.The company will also continue to develop tourism as a major draw for the stadium, while seeking sports and entertainment events.

The stadium hosted the 2009 Race of Champions. On 1 November 2010 the IAAF announced that the 2015 World Championships in Athletics will take place at the Beijing National Stadium.