The Bird's Nest and the Water Cube

One of the most anticipated events this year is the 2008 Olympics to be held in Beijing, China. With the slogan One World, One Dream, the Games of the XXIX Olympiad will draw thousands of athletes from around the world to compete in 302 events in 28 sports.

The Beijing Olympics also holds a special significance because it is widely seen as China's monumental step into world prominence, a chance for the giant nation to build goodwill and showcase itself to the world. To make Beijing worthy of its role as Olympic host, the Chinese built a number of new structures and landmarks for the games.

More than the spectacle of sports and fanfare, I am looking forward to these two new structures that are sure to become architectural icons: the new Beijing National Stadium and the Beijing National Aquatic Center.

The Beijing National Stadium, the centerpiece of Beijing's Olympic Green, is nicknamed the 'Bird's Nest' because of its unique nest-like design composed of an interweaving grid-like enclosure and retractable roof. This astounding feat of engineering is designed to embody the 'Randomness of Nature'.

Not only is it an engineering and architectural marvel, it's also environmentally-friendly - with its own rainwater collection system, a translucent roof that provides essential sunlight for the grass below, and a natural, passive ventilation system. The $500 million stadium is designed by Herzog & De Meuron and will hold 100,000 spectators.


Meanwhile, the Beijing National Aquatic Center, standing opposite the 'Bird's Nest', is destined to be one of the most exciting venues at the 2008 Games. Nicknamed the 'Water Cube' or [H₂O]³, it features a soap bubbles-inspired architecture achieved by using a steel spaceframe clad with hundreds of square meters of ETFE, a kind of plastic.


The ETFE cladding makes the Water Cube 30% more energy efficient by allowing more light and heat penetration than traditional glass. At night when the structure is lit from within, the Water Cube would be a stunning sight.

I hope the Philippines will also have an iconic stadium of its own soon. We definitely need a new world-class stadium to hold world-class events. The historic but antiquated Rizal Memorial Stadium simply wouldn't suffice anymore.

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