National Stadium of China | Symbols of China
“Beijing National Stadium’ or the Bird’s Nest in Beijing is the National Stadium of China. Located in the Olympic Green, the $423 million Stadium is the world’s largest Steel Structure. It is one of the key engineering marvels in the world today. The stadium was designed for use Throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
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 opening and closing ceremonies for the 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing National Stadium. Beijing National Stadium becomes the first ceremony venue for both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games in the world.
Beijing National Stadium Facts
- Chinese: 北京国家体育场, Běijīng Guójiā Tǐyùchăng /bay-jing gwor-jyah tee-yoo-chung/
- Nickname: The Bird’s Nest (鸟巢, Niăocháo /nyaow-chaow/)
- Location: 13 kilometers (8 miles) from Tian’anmen Square
- Popular activities: admiring its design, taking photos, and going inside the stadium
- Built: 2007
- Capacity: 91,000 seats
The building has a floor space of 254,600 m2. About 91,000 people can seat but 80,000 of its capacity is through fixed seating. The building’s total gross internal volume is somewhere in the order of 3 million cubic meters. There is 36 km of unwrapped steel to build the stadium with a total weight of over 40,000 tons. The stadium is just over 330 meters long (from North to South) and over 220 meters wide (from East to West). At its highest point, the stadium is just under 70 meters tall with its shortest elevation standing at 42.8 meters.
