Beijing, China
October 16, 2016

After the success of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, many tourists have come to visit the Bird’s Nest (Beijing National Stadium) and Water Cube (Beijing National Aquatics Center) inside the Olympic Park.

The National Stadium hosted the track and field, football, and final competitions for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was also the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games.

The main catch-eye of the structure is its twig-like structure, bowl-shaped roof, and ‘cushion’ system that has the ability to fill the spaces within the building’s facade and regulates the wind, weather, and sunlight inside the stadium.

Built next to the Bird’s Nest is the National Aquatics Center (Water Cube). With a total floor space of 50,000 square meters and a seating capacity of 17,000, the National Aquatics Center is the only Olympic venue that was built through the donations of China’s compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao.

During the 2008 Olympics Games, the Bird’s Nest was used for swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo games. The center is known as the ‘Water Cube’ due to its shape that is similar to the structure of ‘H2O’ and its semi-transparent ‘bubbles’ spread all over the surface.

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