DVB's Visit To Bird's Nest Stadium, Beijing

So Dat Village Boy visited the innovative Beijing National Stadium, officially the National Stadium, also popularly known as the Bird's Nest. This landmark architectural masterpiece hosted the 2008 Olympics.



The gargantuan stadium is located in the political and diplomatic capital of China, Beijing, a city describe as the "laboratory for new architectures."

Undoubtedly, this £300m (US$423 million) Bird's Nest stadium is the world's largest steel structure with 26km of unwrapped steel used and it incorporates elements of Chinese art and culture (Chinese ceramics).

It is the most complex stadium ever attempted in the world, built within 5 years. Its location is predefined by the master plan.

The Pros say it's "A new kind of public space for Beijing," developed to be functional following the Games in 2008. It is a new kind of urban site that attracts and generates public life - attracting thousands of tourists all around the world everyday.

Well, when next you visit the People's republic of China, a nation with over 1.37 Billion people, with over 20 percent aging population, remember to drop by in Beijing to get a glimpse of this spectacular 91,000-seat monumental mega-structure designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron in collaboration with Ai Weiwei, a radical Chinese artist, a man notable for smashing ancient artifacts in creation of his art.

Chi Josh