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Beijing National Stadium

National Stadium
The Bird's Nest
BirdsNestLogo.svg
Beijing national stadium.jpg
Exterior view of the stadium at night, overlooking the Dragon Shaped Water System, July 2011
Full name National Stadium
Location Beijing, China
Executive suites 140
Capacity 80,000
91,000 (2008 Olympics)
Record attendance 89,102 (NigeriaArgentina, 23 August 2008)
Surface Grass, All-weather running track
Construction
Broke ground 24 December 2003
Built September 2007
Opened 28 June 2008
Construction cost yuan ¥2,9 billion
USD $ 423 million
($471 million in 2014 dollars)
EUR € 399 million (In 2014)
Architect Herzog & de Meuron
ArupSport
China Architectural Design & Research Group
Ai Weiwei (Artistic consultant)
Structural engineer Arup
Tenants
China national football team (occasional)
China national basketball team (2009–2010)
Beijing National Stadium
Simplified Chinese 北京国家体育场
Traditional Chinese 北京國家體育場
Alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese 鸟巢
Traditional Chinese 鳥巢
Literal meaning Bird's Nest

Beijing National Stadium, officially the National Stadium (Chinese: 国家体育场; pinyin: guójiā tǐyùchǎng), also known as the Bird's Nest (鸟巢; niǎocháo), is a stadium in Beijing. The 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. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics and will be used again in the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The stadium is currently mostly unused, after having been unsuccessfully suggested as the permanent headquarters of the Beijing soccer team.

Located at the Olympic Green, the stadium cost US$428 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. Leading Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was 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, football and otherwise, after the Olympics.


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