Up-close & personal at the Bird's Nest

As the main track and field stadium for the Games and the venue for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, imaginably anyone would be curious about what's inside there in the National Stadium, how's the construction going, and what's the future of it going to be like?

And now let's embark on a journey to explore the secrecy of the Bird's Nest.

On July 30, 2007, the general switch room connected the bird's nest with the first line of electricity supply.

The Bird's Nest sparkled!

It is all contributable to the work of the Chaoyang branch of Beijing Electric Power Corporation who finished the installation and testing of all the electric equipment within two months. The construction of another three lines of electricity supply is currently under way.

Compared to the construction of electric supply, the steel structure construction was far more troublesome.

Four years ago, as the overwhelming favorite, the Bird's Nest design submitted by the Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron - in collaboration with ArupSport and China Architecture Design & Research Group - won a global competition, ending March 28, 2003. After the well-attended grand groundbreaking ceremony, the construction started in earnest.

However, safety concerns and high construction costs halted the construction. Four months later, the construction was at last restarted with modifications made to the original design. In the new design a sliding roof for the stadium was eliminated.

On September 17, 2006, with the last jack pad removed, the bird's nest finally jumped off from the construction blueprint and stood on its own.

Some transparent materials coat the grey steel skeleton containing a red bowl-shaped spectators' stand which bears striking resemblance to red-bricked palaces surrounded by the greenish lime city walls in the Forbidden City.

Soon the bird's nest project will enter the phase of interior decoration. Sources say that elements featuring traditional Chinese culture must be included and a perfect blend of East and West will be presented to the whole world.

According to the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the Bird's Nest will become a landmark building for sports and entertainment. It will be capable of hosting various sports events and other public activities.

Backgrounder

The National Stadium (The Bird's Nest)

Location: Beijing Olympic Park

Area: 2.58 million square kilometers

Capacity: 91 thousand seats

Games time function: track and field competition and football

After Games function: international and domestic sports, cultural and entertainment activities

Groundbreaking: December 2003

Completion: Early 2008