PROJECT

PRESENTATION
Done by Civil Engineering students
of ITS and GUET.
 CONTENTS
TABLE OF
01
INTRODUCTION
General information about the
building

02
HISTORY
Brief history of the building

03
BUILDING FACTS
Common constructional facts
about the building

04
DESIGN
….

05
CONSTRUCTION
….
 ENGINEERING

CONTENTS
TABLE OF
06
HIGHLIGHTS
Here you could describe the topic
of the section

07
OPINION
Here you could describe the topic
of the section

08
CONCLUSION
Here you could describe the topic
of the section
INTRODUCTION

01
BEIJING’s BIRD
NEST
The Beijing National Stadium - more
often referred to as the Bird's Nest
Stadium - took five years to
complete. The stadium was jointly
designed by architects Jacques
Herzog and Pierre de Meuron from
Basel-based architecture team Herzog
& de Meuron, project architect Stefan
Marbach, artist Ai Weiwei, and
CADG, which was led by chief
architect Li Xinggang.
02

HISTORY
 Located at the Olympic Green, the stadium
cost US$428 million. The design was
awarded to a submission from the Swiss
architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in
April 2003 after a bidding process that
included 13 final submissions. The design,
which originated from the study of Chinese
ceramics, implemented steel beams in order
to hide supports for the retractable roof,
giving the stadium the appearance of a bird's
nest. Leading Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was
the artistic consultant on the project.

The retractable roof was later removed from

the design after inspiring the stadium's most
recognizable aspect. Ground was broken on
24 December 2003 and the stadium officially
opened on 28 June 2008. A shopping mall
and a hotel are planned to be constructed to
increase use of the stadium, which has had
trouble attracting events, football and
otherwise, after the Olympics.
Beijing National Stadium (BNS) was a joint
venture among architects Jacques Herzog
and Pierre de Meuron of Herzog & de
Meuron, project architect Stefan Marbach
and CADG, which was led by chief architect
Li Xinggang. During their first meeting in
2003, at Basel, the group decided to do
something unlike Herzog and de Meuron had
traditionally designed. "China wanted to
have something new for this very important
stadium," Li stated.

In an effort to design a stadium that was

"porous" while also being "a
collective building, a public vessel",
the team studied Chinese ceramics.
This line of thought brought the team
to the "nest scheme". The stadium
consists of two independent
structures, standing 50 feet apart: a
red concrete seating bowl and the
outer steel frame around it.
 03
BUILDING FACTS
 SPECIFICATIONS
BUILDING
HEIGHT LENGTH WIDTH
69.2m (227 feet) 330m (1082 feet) 220m (721 feet)

STEEL USED TOTAL

ON OUTER WEIGHT OF SEATING
SHELL MATERIALS CAPACITY
±42,000 tons ±110,000 tons 80,000-91,000

The Beijing National Stadium took around 3
years to complete with a total of over 40,000
tons of steel and 110,0000 tons of concrete
to build it. It has a designed lifespan around
100 years. This makes it one of, if not the
world’s largest steel structure. Construction
began in December 2003 with the building
finally completed in March 2008. Pile
foundations were dug to around 37
meters below ground level to support the
enormous weight of the final building.
With this complete, the inner body of the
stadium was erected using 14,700 precast
concrete slabs with 2mm tolerances to
form the main seating areas. Internally
the Beijing National Stadium has 24
trussed columns, each weighing 1000
tons. Because of their size, they were
assembled in parts onsite as they were
too heavy to be lifted into place using
cranes.
 
WORKING ON
WHAT WE ARE
Construction of the outer shell
commenced in 2005. Once all the
columns were assembled and in
place, smaller beams were welded
between the structure to provide it
with added strength and to enhance
its unique, elliptical crosshatch This
structure also enabled the designers
to meet the Chinese government’s
requirement for the stadium to be
able to withstand an 8.0 magnitude
earthquake.
04 DESIGN
Measuring 330 meters long, 220 meters wide and 69.2
meters tall, the design of the Bird's Nest stadium design
is based on 24 trussed columns, weighing 1000 tons
each. Due to their weight, no crane was strong enough to
lift the columns into place when construction of the
stadium’s steel outer shell began in 2005. As a result, the
columns were shipped in parts to Beijing and assembled
in position. After all 24 columns were in place, smaller
beams were welded between to give the structure greater
strength and enhance the unique, elliptical crosshatch
appearance.

Finally, the third set of beams was added in order to

hang the transparent, polymer membrane, which
provides roofing between the steel beams.
During the design stage of the project, the Swiss
architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, along with their
partners Arup and China Architecture Design &
Research Group, had numerous issues to address beyond
the aesthetic appeal of the stadium. One crucial problem
was whether, once in place, the 42,000 tons of steel
required to build the structure would be able to support
its own weight, or whether it would crumble once the 78
support pillars used during construction were removed.
The local government also required that the stadium
design be able to withstand an 8.0 magnitude
earthquake.
 As if these issues were not complicated enough, the architects and
engineers also had to keep in mind the effects of thermal expansion,
that is the tendency for steel to expand and contract as the
temperature changes. In Beijing, where the temperature can range
from over 30°C in the summer to -20°C in the winter, this is no
small consideration. To address these three engineering issues the
design team worked with Chinese steel producers Baosteel and
Wuhan Iron & Steel to develop new steel grades that would meet
the strength and flexibility requirements of the project.

According to Lin Shuguang, General Manager of Baosteel, three

months of research led to the production of a new steel with low
phosphor and low sulfur content, which they termed Q35. Q35 is a
high-hardness steel able to bear stress up to 35 x 106 pascals. This
would be critical in the construction of the 24 trussed columns, each of
which was 300 meters in length and expected to help bare a load of
11,200 tons. Wuhan Iron and Steel group designed the second grade of
steel that would make up the remaining portion of the stadium's shell,
referred to as Q460. Q460 provided a high strength, but flexible, steel
to support the trusses and ensure that the stadium's shell would not
become a 42,000-ton steel heap.
 05
CONSTRUCTION
 The new, high strength steels, however, presented their
own problems during construction, as higher than
normal welding temperatures were required, often in
very precarious and high locations. Welding,
moreover, could only be conducted at temperatures
of 15-16°C, which meant that workers had to weld
during evening hours. In August of 2006, over 400
welders worked for three straight nights to weld the
320 kilometers of welding seams required to
assemble the stadium's iconic, latticed steel frame.

By September of 2006, the structure was deemed

ready to stand on its own and the 78 support pillars
were removed one-by-one in front of a nervous
design and construction team, leaving the entire
structure standing on its own. Like the Eiffel Tower,
the Bird's Nest has not been without its share of
criticism, particularly for its non-traditional style
and appearance. Nevertheless, it has become a
poignant symbol of modern China and the
engineering ability of mankind.
 06
ENGINEERING
HIGHLIGHTS
TAKING ENGINEERING TO
THE NEXT LEVEL
EARTHQUAKE
RESISTANCE
As China is surrounded by some of the deadliest
fault lines, the stadium had to be
earthquake proof. The building structure of
Beijing Olympics stadium had to pass
vigorous seismic tests. Thus the
responsibility of making the Bird’s nest
earthquake proof started. The immediate
problem was that the stadium was so large
that it would not shake uniformly
altogether with the same frequency. So the
solution was to construct concrete bow in
parts, then surround it with metal bow.

Dividing the concrete building structure of Beijing stadium into 6

parts was the key to safety. Being isolated, each part could
move flexibly and independently in earthquake so that it
could absorb the energy by its free movement, instead of
being broken into pieces by this energy. Then it was to be
surrounded by metal bow. So that, if in the worst case
concrete fails, the steel would be unaffected and would
support the structure frame. The structural guidelines of the
Olympic committee were also to be met accordingly i.e. the
stadium should have giant screens, shops, restaurants, cafes,
bars and above all spectacular views of the competitions.
Every seat was designed to be as close to the action as
possible. No seat was more than 142m from the center of the
stadium
 GREEN
FEATURES
Aside from the structural advantages provided by steel, it has the added benefit
of being easily recyclable, and thus ties

in with the Beijing Olympic organizers’ focus on sustainable design, and the
driving principles of biometric design.

Beijing’s Olympic Stadium draws directly from nature, as elements of the bird
nest are exposed as its major aesthetic motif, with little material wasted to
disguise the structure.

In keeping with the bird’s nest analogy, the façade is in:

Filled with translucent ETFE panels in much the same way that a nest
is insulated by stuffing small pieces of material between the twigs that
make up the structure. The ETFE panels serve to protect spectators from
the elements and provide acoustic insulation, while allowing sunlight to
filter through to feed the natural grass field ( Lubow, 2006) . Furthermore,
the panels are lighter than either glass or aluminum panels would be,
reducing the dead load supported by the roof. The panels are also self-
cleaning and durable, reducing costly
maintenance. Openings in the façade allow natural ventilation as air filters
through the public concourse, into the stadium, and eventually vents
BIOMIMICRY

The Bird’s Nest is a national stadium in the capital of China, Beijing. This is a perfect example of an infrastructure based on the
concept of Biomimicry. This stadium was especially for the 2008 Olympic Games, in the city of Beijing. After the grand
event got over, this stadium is open as a tourist attraction. Apart from this, it is useful for hosting domestic as well as
international sports competitions and recreational activities. The opening and closing event of the Winter Olympic Games
will take place here in 2022.
The design of the stadium takes inspiration from a bird’s nest, therefore the given name. This shows the presence of the theory
of Biomimicry during the shaping of its architecture. Swiss architects Pierre de Meuron and Jacques Herzog along with
Chinese architect Li Xianggang are the masterminds behind the biomimetic design of the stadium. Though the design
seems unique, all the designers did was to expose the steel structures entirely, which gives them a natural appearance. The
thought behind the design is that the big nest embraces and nurtures the human beings present inside it.
 OPINION

07
We think that this building is very
strong and able to withstand
any circumstances. With the
construction that took 5 years
long, it is must be a very well
built building. The selection of
good material also greatly helps
the strength of this stadium. the
engineer who works in this
project is also the best in his
field
This stadium has a very interesting design and it is so “crazy”. for the people
today, this is a very modern design. Moreover, we know that nowadays China has a
very big soccer league, and it is becoming one of the best leagues in Asia. BNS also
has complete facilities for athletes. It is located in a strategic position so that many
regions could come to BNS with public transportation.
CONCLUSION

08
The unique design of this very complex building has a very high
aesthetic value with the looks that resembles twigs arranged to form
a bird's nest. Although it looks frail due to its shape but this building
has been approved by seismic test to be sturdy even when the
earthquake occurs.
despite the beautiful looks of the building, it also use green features
with translucent ETFE panels so it resembles the nature and all the
designers did was to expose the steel structure entirely, which gives
the natural appearance too just like bird's nest
the purpose for building this stadium is for the olympic games 2008 but
now its useful for hosting domestic as well as international sports
competitions and now the stadium is open for tourist attraction due
to its beautiful design