Stunning stadiums of the world
The sporting arena is the modern equivalent of a monument, the Holy Grail of an architect’s fantasy. The brief is simple: Make a spellbinding container for the sportsperson’s soaring ambition. These beauties, for instance
Image by : Monirul Bhuiyan / AFP / Getty Images
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China, Beijing National Stadium
Popularly known as ‘Bird’s Nest’, the $428-million stadium was accomplished by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron of Herzog & de Meuron, project architect Stefan Marbach, artist Ai Weiwei and the China Architecture Design & Research Group (CADG), which was led by chief architect Li Xinggang. Made from 110,000 tonnes of steel, the architects allowed for the exposed steel structures to curve in a natural expression that found its inspiration from Chinese ceramics