Welding smaller beams between them increases strength and improves the crosshatch look. Because Beijing is one of the world's most seismically active areas, the local authorities mandated that the stadium be able to survive 8.0 magnitude earthquakes. The building also has deep foundations, designed by a team led by Peter Cherian, that go down 70 meters (230 feet) into the ground to prevent any surface-level damage from occurring.
The stadium was opened for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was the home stadium of the football (soccer) team from which it got its name: Beijing Guo'an Diba Dianjiu (Beijing Guoan International Sports Academy). After the games, the stadium was closed up and has been used since then for educational purposes and other events such as Chinese cultural ceremonies and music concerts.
It is worth mentioning that the Olympic Stadium is not the only big project in Beijing inspired by kites. There is also a huge kite museum in Dongguan City, near Guangzhou, China. Its name is KITESPACE and it was created by Wang Yongqi and some friends. They sell products online and through several shops located all around China. Kites are their biggest seller - especially the large version called "gajias". They also have dancing kites which use wind power to make sounds.
It is located on the Olympic Green, approximately 8 kilometers from the heart of Beijing. Herzog de Meuron, a Swiss architect, and Li Xinggang, a Chinese architect, collaborated on the design of the Beijing National Stadium. Its design has to be inspirational as well as able to endure an earthquake. It also needs to meet the requirements of the Asian Games in 2010. The stadium will be the home of the 2008 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies as well as the football matches for these events.
Herzog de Meuron was born in Switzerland in 1940. He studied architecture at the ETH Zurich and worked mainly on cultural buildings, including museums. In 1973, he established an office in Beijing where he has designed many important buildings including the Shanghai World Financial Center, the Cité de la Musique in Paris, and the American Academy in Rome.
Li Xinggang was born in China in 1951. He graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 1975 and started his own practice. He has been involved in several important projects such as the National Art Museum of China and the Hong Kong International Airport. He has also designed the Beijing National Stadium with Herzog de Meuron.
The architects used local materials such as brick, stone, and wood to create a unique style of modern architecture. They wanted to make the stadium simple but elegant so it can fit into the green space next to it.
Five (5) years The Beijing National Stadium (also known as the "Bird's Nest Stadium") took five years to build and used 42,000 tons of steel, making it the world's biggest steel construction. It is also one of the most expensive sports facilities in history, costing about $150 million at the time of its completion in 2008. The stadium is primarily used for Olympic events, but it can also be used for concerts or other large gatherings.
The stadium was designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster with input from Chinese architect Wu Xingfei. It was built by China's state-owned construction company, Building the stadium took longer than expected and $60 million over budget. In addition, part of the roof collapsed during a game, injuring more than 100 people.
After the games, Chinese officials announced that they would close the stadium for three years of maintenance. It is expected to re-open in the summer of 2012.
Many of these venues, but not all, include the words "Olympic Stadium" in their titles. Olympic Stadium is sometimes referred to as a multi-purpose stadium that holds Olympic events. Athletics contests and the football final are customarily contested in the Olympic Stadium during the Summer Olympic Games. During the Winter Olympics, the same stadium is used for the opening and closing ceremonies and for some sports events.
The stadium was built for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. It has been called the world's largest wooden structure before being surpassed by more modern facilities. The original stadium seated 80,000 people. A renovation completed in 2008 reduced the capacity to 40,000 while still keeping it open-air. There are plans to build a new 15,000-seat stadium next to the existing one for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
It is commonly believed that the stadium's original design included space for rock concerts, but such activities were never actually performed there. Its size makes them impossible anyway: 90,000 fans can be seated inside the stadium, but only 40,000 can fit outside on grassy hillsides.
However, the stadium has been used for many music festivals including Rock in Roma, Circus Maximus, and Stravinsky Festival. It is also used for industrial exhibitions such as EXPO 2000. The stadium has been selected to host some matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
When the revised plans were revealed, it was reported that the Twin Towers will be dismantled to make room for a new 90,000-person stadium. English Heritage was told that they would be in the centre of the pitch of the new stadium designs and would serve no practical function. The decision was said to have been made because football needs to be seen to be enjoyed by all, with no part of the event restricted to watch only. It also needed to be a completely new experience for fans coming out of the turnstiles; the old stand was described as tired and outdated.
Wembley Stadium was opened on 29 September 2007 by Queen Elizabeth II. The first match played at the new stadium was an England v Italy rugby match on 4 October 2007. The last match played at the old stadium was a UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg between Chelsea and Liverpool on 9 April 2008. The demolition process began on 18 March 2009 and was completed by 10 November 2010.
Wembley Stadium was built for £750 million ($1.5 billion) by London-based architect Sir David Beckham and American entrepreneur Donald J. Trump. The project was originally intended to be a 60,000-seater stadium but due to financial difficulties Trump's company filed for bankruptcy protection before any of the structures had been completed.