Jul 31 2008
Inside the Bird’s Nest
The National Stadium Beijing is one of the new landmarks in north Beijing before the 2008 Olympic. This brand new stadium which costs 4 billion RMB (500 million USD) will host the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the main track and field competitions of the 2008 summer Olympic.
The stadium can seat as many as 91,000 spectators during the Olympics. The capacity will then be reduced to 80,000 after the Games. It has replaced the original intended venue of the Guangdong Olympic Stadium. The stadium is 330 metres, (1,082 ft) long by 220 metres, (721 ft) wide, and is 69.2 metres,(227 ft) tall. The stadium uses 258,000 square metres (2,777,112 square feet) of space and has a usable area of 204,000 square metres (2,195,856 square feet). It was built with 36 km of unwrapped steel, with a combined weight of 45,000 tonnes.The stadium will cost up to 3.5 billion yuan (≈423 million USD).
Beside its functionalities, the Bird’s Nest is a masterpiece of modern architecture as well. It looks really beautiful and magnificent, especially during night without the cover of smog and dust. Compared with other newly built multi-billion projects, such as the New CCTV Tower or the National Theather of Performing Arts, the Bird’s Nest has received the least negative feedbacks from the local Beijingers.
Night View
The Lobby
Inside view
Then Entrance
Turf
