The $423 million National Stadium has become a rare architectural celebrity. Everyone calls it the "Bird's Nest," which in China means it is something much prized. Because the architects disliked the massive parallel beams necessary to support the retractable roof, they developed a lacy pattern for the other steel elements to disguise them. Although the stadium's curving steel nest grabs the most attention, the building actually combines a pair of structures: a bright-red concrete bowl for seating and the iconic steel frame around it.
National Swimming CenterArchitects: PTW Architects, CSCEC+Design, and Arup
Called the Water Cube (even though it's a box 584 feet square and 102 feet high, not a cube), this building's skin is made of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (a transparent form of Teflon) cells with either 14 or 12 sides. A space frame assembled on site from 22,000 steel tubes welded to 12,000 nodes holds the cells in place and provides a column-free structure with spans of 396 feet in either direction.
National Center for the Performing Arts Architects: Paul Andreu Architect Paris
Ultimately, for all the time (eight years) and money (at least $400 million, in a country where construction costs are minimal) that went into it, the Center doesn't pack much of a punch. Andreu's titanium Egg (the Center's nickname) has a brushed texture, perhaps to prevent glare—though Beijing's polluted air usually does the trick. It is so carefully detailed that its surface is scaleless; except when window washers are climbing the exterior, it is impossible to grasp the building's size.
Olympic Green
Architects: Sasaki Associates
Olympic Green holds 50% of the competition venues for the Olympics, and is located at the north end of the central axis of Beijing City. Sasaki saw its job as creating a framework for the Olympics as well as integrating the 2,800-acre site with the city as a whole. The design comprises three key elements: a Forest Park on the north, a diagonal Olympic Axis connecting existing sports facilities from the 1985 Asian Games to the new venues for the Olympics, and a Cultural Axis extending the ancient imperial route that runs north from Tiananmen Square through the Forbidden City.
Basketball Gymnasium
Architects: Beijing Architecture Research Institute
Located west of the Forbidden City, the 18,000-seat basketball venue occupies four floors above ground and three below. The architects wrapped the exterior with aluminum-alloy cladding and equipped the building with solar panels and a rainwater-recycling system. According to Gu Yonghui, an architect at BARI, fans will enjoy upholstered seats and a high-definition LED display system that meets NBA standards.
National Indoor Stadium Architects: Glöckner3 Architektur und Städtebau with Beijing Institute of Architectural Design
Just north of the Water Cube, the National Indoor Stadium will host the gymnastic, trampoline, and handball events during the Olympic Games, and wheelchair basketball competitions during the Paralympics. The $125 million stadium is 873,000 square feet and has a seating capacity of 18,000. The architects designed the building to resemble an unfurled Chinese fan, wrapping it with a high-tech curtain wall made of 205,000 square feet of glass in front of 1,124 energy-generating photovoltaic panels.
Shun-Yi Olympic Aquatic Park Architects: BlighVollerNield with EDAW
Set in the northeast part of Beijing, the Shun-Yi Olympic Aquatic Park will host all canoe and kayak events. The 343,000-square-foot facility occupies the largest site of any of the Olympic venues. It provides permanent seating for 1,200 fans, temporary seating for 15,800, and standing-room spaces for 10,000. Plans call for additional residential and commercial developments and for the location to be used after the Games as a swimming resort.
Tennis Center Architects: BlighVollerNield with China Construction Design International
The 285,000-square-foot Olympic Tennis Center occupies a 41-acre site on the west side of an artificial hill in the Olympic Forest Park. It comprises 10 competition courts on four platforms and provides seating for 17,400 spectators. The architects designed the three structures containing the main courts as dodecagons, symbolizing the 12 petals of a lotus, a flower that has long associations with Chinese culture. All of the center's wastewater will be treated and recycled for use in irrigation, while solar cells will heat water for use in the buildings. Other green strategies include a geothermal heat system for one of the courts and natural ventilation for all courts.
Laoshan Velodrome a technological masterpiece
Occupying a land surface of 33,320 sq m, the Laoshan Velodrome shines as a brand new venue for the track cycling event for the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The three-story building is 33.8m tall, capable of seating 6,000, including 3,000 temporary seats.Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium
Known as "Diamond of the Bohai Gulf", Tianjin is the gateway to the Chinese capital Beijing. With a population of more than 10 million, it is one of the country's biggest industrial centers and one of the key ports. Tianjin's annual average temperature is 12.2 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Celsius in January and 26.8 degrees Celsius in July).