National Stadium (Bird's Nest)

Beijing National Stadium, also known as the National Stadium or colloquially as the Bird’s Nest, is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

 

Occupying an area of 21 hectares, it has a floor space of 258,000 square meters. Its seating capacity amounts to 91,000, including 11,000 temporary seats. The main body of the National Stadium has a design life of 100 years. Its fire resistance capability is first-rate, and it can withstand an eight-magnitude earthquake. The water-resistance capability of its underground project is also first-rate. The main body of the National Stadium is a colossal saddle-shaped elliptic steel structure weighing 42,000 tons. It is 333 meters long from north to south, 294 meters wide from east to west, and 69 meters tall.

 

The main body’s elements support each other and converge into a grid formation, just like a bird’s nest with interlocking branches and twigs. Being a seven-story shear wall system, the stadium’s stand has a concrete framework. The upper part of the stand and the stadium’s steel structure are separated from each other, but both are based on a joint footing. The roof of the National Stadium is covered by a double-layer membrane structure, with a transparent ETFE membrane fixed on the upper part of the roofing structure and a translucent PTFE membrane fixed on its lower part. A PTFE acoustic ceiling is attached to the side walls of the inner ring.

 

The construction of the National Stadium followed the PPP mode (Private + Public + Partnership ), and it is co-owned by the Beijing State-Owned Assets Management Co. Ltd (BSAM), who shares 58 percent of the total assets, and the China International Trust and Investment (CITIC) Consortium, who holds the rest of the assets.