Beijing - 2008 Olympic Stadium (aka "The Bird's Nest")

On Sunday we got on the subway to North West Beijing to see if we could catch a glimpse of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Stadium (aka "The Bird's Nest") currently under construction.

Although a large area around the stadium meant it was effectively a sealed-off construction site we did manage to get close enough to get a few pictures. It's a pretty novel design and it really does stand out in the North Beijing skyline alongside the "Bubble Building" where the swimming events will take place.

Official Stadium Spiel - "Perhaps the most unique feature of the structure is its "cushion" system which strategically fills the spaces within the building's facade to regulate wind, weather, and sunlight. On the rooftop, the inflatable cushions fill gaps to weather- and waterproof the stadium. "Just as birds stuff the spaces between the woven twigs of their nests with a soft filler, the spaces in the structure of the stadium will be filled with inflated cushions."

The building is a collaboration between Herzog & de Meuron and China Architecture Design Institute. Construction began in December 2003 and capacity upon completion is expected to be 100,000.

"Everyone is encouraged to do their most stupid and extravagant designs there. They don't have as much of a barrier between good taste and bad taste, between the minimal and expressive. The Beijing stadium tells me that nothing will shock them." — Jacques Herzog

View from a nearby footbridge

If you can make sense of this sign outside the stadium then you're a better man than me!