 | |
 |
       |
| ||||||
 |
2008 Beijing Paralympic GamesVenuesBeijing National Stadium:
The stadium will seat as many as 100,000 spectators during the Olympics, but this will 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 long by 220 metres wide, and is 69.2 metres tall. The 250,000 square metre (gross floor area) stadium is to be 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. The ground was broken in December 2003, and construction started in March 2004, but was halted by the high construction cost in August 2004. In the new design, the roof of the stadium had been omitted from the design. Experts say that this will make the stadium safer, whilst reducing construction costs. The construction of the Olympic buildings will continue once again in the beginning of 2005. Overview:
The stadium was conceived as a large collective vessel, which makes a distinctive and unmistakable impression both from a distance and when seen from up close. It meets all the functional and technical requirements of an Olympic National Stadium, but without communicating the insistent sameness of technocratic architecture dominated by large spans and digital screens.
Directions: The Olympic Stadium will be situated at the Olympic Green, at the North end of the city within close proximity to the Beijing International Airport.
Qingdao International Sailing Centre:The Qingdao International Sailing Centre is a sailing marina located on the former site of the Beihai Shipyard by Qingdao's Fushan Bay at Shandong Province in China. It is under construction for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It will host the Sailing competitions.
|
| ||||
The Beijing National Stadium, also known as the bird's nest will be the main track and field stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralymics, as well as hosting the Opening and Closing ceremonies. In 2002 Government officials engaged architects worldwide in a design competition. Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron collaborated with China Architecture Design & Research Group to win the competition.
The stadium's appearance is one of synergy, with no distinction made between the facade and the superstructure. The structural elements mutually support each other and converge into a grid-like formation - almost like a bird's nest with its interwoven twigs. The spatial effect of the stadium is novel and radical, yet simple and of an almost archaic immediacy, thus creating a unique historical landmark for the Olympics of 2008.
Visitors walk through this formation and enter the spacious ambulatory that runs full circle around the stands. From there, one can survey the circulation of the entire area including the stairs that access the three tiers of the stands. Functioning like an arcade or a concourse, the lobby is a covered urban space with restaurants and stores that invite visitors to stroll around. Just as birds stuff the spaces between the woven twigs of their nests with a soft filler, the spaces in the structure of the stadium will be filled with inflated ETFE cushions. Originally, on the roof, the cushions were to be mounted on the outside of the structure to make the roof completely weatherproof, but the roof was omitted from the design in 2004.
The marina will cover an area of 45 hectares, two thirds of which will be utilised for competitions. Ground was broken on May 25, 2004 and is scheduleed for completion in 2008. Other developments on the site include: Olympic village, athlete centre, boating park, media centre, international passenger liner terminal, international conference centre, five star hotel, international yacht club, seaside marina, shopping and amusement centre, parks and public suqares.
 |