July 30th, 2008

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Here are a few shots of Herzog & de Meuron’s National Stadium in Beijing, China by architectural photographer Iwan Baan.

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The stadium, completed in March, will host track and field events and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games from 8-24 August.

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All images are © Iwan Baan and used with permission.

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Posted by Marcus Fairs

59 Responses to “National Stadium, Beijing
by Herzog & de Meuron”

  1. JUST COOL Design Blog Says:

    an impressive humungous ball of ribbon

  2. Bozo Says:

    Free Tibet

  3. Tyler Says:

    Great Job Guys!

  4. uncertain Says:

    i like it

  5. razifohnas Says:

    Stim gila tengok gambar.
    My goodness.

  6. Azeem Says:

    Its beautiful but the structure seems overburdened superflously !!!.

  7. Honkie Says:

    wow blue sky in Beijing! what day was that?

  8. kangnar Says:

    sweet!!! never seen these images before…

  9. matt Says:

    Bozo Says:
    Free Tibet

    i love people writing “free tibet” on a made-in-china keyboard

  10. Lr Says:

    Most impressive!!!

    I don’t think that the structure is overdimensioned, it’s just that it shows the inner concept which “propelled” the development of the buiding. I mean, the frame is an integral part of the project.

  11. cpcp Says:

    awesome!
    cant wait for the 8th!

  12. AFRI Says:

    great work, these architects are on the fore front of innovative design.

  13. JuiceMajor² Says:

    One of the best statium design I have ever seen!! No one will top that!!

  14. sunhaiting Says:

    matt Says:

    Bozo Says:
    Free Tibet

    WHO SAYS FREE TIBET,WHO WILL BE UNDER A CURSE

  15. Morais Says:

    Free Tibet

    i can write “free tibet” … my keyboard is made-in- germany

  16. kurosheep Says:

    Seriously, aren’t they using too much steel here? Am overkill to achieve so little?

  17. cpcp Says:

    first image - object hanging down from ceiling
    is that a light or a loudspeaker?????

  18. edward Says:

    Fabulous! I to wonder how rational the structure is. Are their a lot of superfluous members to generate the thicket like appearance? Looking at the underside of the canopy, I have no idea what holds it up.

  19. Johanna Says:

    Credit should be payed where credit is due -

    Olafur Eliasson 1999 (5 dimensional pavilion): http://www.olafureliasson.net/selected_works/sw_12_1.html

  20. Me Says:

    Anyone catch the documenatry of the making of this on National Geographic- ‘Mega Structures’.

    The engineers (Arup) deserve a medal for this. They had to create a new type of steel to make it fit for construction.

  21. Zenza Says:

    Nice work. But it’s a shame that it’s located in China…

    FREE TIBET! NOW!

    NO CENSORSHIP!

  22. Von Shoah Says:

    Where do I get some of this free Tibet,
    I’ve never had a country of my own,
    I wouldn’t mind trying a little.

  23. opil Says:

    wonderful architecture…build it grand, build it mighty, build like the romans…no ‘plastic’ structure, then free tibet!

  24. beckham Says:

    nice.. photoshopped skies though..

    free tibet.. free speech.. freedom…

  25. fvale Says:

    if the stadium is finished…why do we keep seeing the same 3D renders over and over ?

  26. email Says:

    I am so sad to see those too-easy-political-labels everywhere. Now even in my favorite architecture website!
    Please, there are plenty of places where you can show your sense of justice.

  27. floyd landis Says:

    Big star architects wasting their clients money on their own wet dreams. Welcome to China.

  28. lucas23 Says:

    One flew over the Cuckoo’s Bird Nest

  29. Joaquin Says:

    Me Says:
    Anyone catch the documenatry of the making of this on National Geographic- ‘Mega Structures’.
    The engineers (Arup) deserve a medal for this. They had to create a new type of steel to make it fit for construction.

    Yea, engineers are always behind the curtain, doing backstage work. Yet they’re the ones who realize things. Cheers to ARUP.

  30. Joaquin Says:

    It’s sad anyway to see all mega-projects in China designed by western architects. It’s sorta like declaring “We can only produce cheap, low-graded products. Let the west do the thinkings!”

    There are so many great designers and architects in china.

  31. elenele Says:

    I have to speak to some of guys above you are rubbish.
    Tibet was, is, will always be a part of China. Pls learn your poor world history again and then you can self-questioning here.

    Can I say FREE ALASKA here. Free Talking here

    Think about it, UNCLE US!!!

  32. freedom Says:

    beijing is smoggy por pabor!

  33. matt Says:

    are u stupid or what?
    is there any censorship in what i said?
    just try to consider your relationship to this country you’re always blaming

    anyway
    “Credit should be payed where credit is due” is more for asiatic tradition for weaving basket than for Olafur Eliasson, try to have some wider references

    people discussing about “f*ing western architects building in China” might consider that this is also a clever way from China to say hello to the rest of the world
    but the rest of the world is not clever enough to understand that kind of merely marketing strategies and only thinks “ooh, we stole their job”

    Jacques Herzog about the grand opening:
    http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,569011,00.html

  34. JuiceMajor² Says:

    What happen to my comment?

  35. One Says:

    Free Tibet!

    WOrld Famous Swiss Architects Represents China Perfectly.

    Besides, The bulding is awsome… awsome..

  36. jazzy Says:

    free american, free austrian, north ireland, free south american -
    when applying those ignorant concept over this world, & not just China (fair play), world will be in chaos

  37. Tibet Says:

    To those “Free Tibet” shouters, cut your fingers and free yourselves from your single cell brains. Unresponsible ranting sounds so cheap…

  38. chatte noire Says:

    Newsflash for elenele: tibet wants to be free….its an irrelevant issue what the past relationship between the two countries was…..
    FREE TIBET!!!

    ..also, yes….hats off to ARUP….they’re doing some amazing work nowadays in the world of architectural engineering!

  39. Atal Says:

    c’est propre! (re One: you mean awesome I guess)

  40. matt Says:

    you all sound like a 11yo girl screaming “I LOVE BRITNEEEY”
    FREE TIBEEEEET
    FREE TIBEEEEET
    FREE TIBEEEEET
    i hope tibet would be free one day only to hear your silence
    (but it will be hard for you to found another reason to fight)

    anyway this is obviously the best olympic game stadium ever
    close to it sits the wonderful Roger Taillibert’s Montreal stadium
    far away is Athens’ Santiago Calatrava crap

  41. lucas23 Says:

    One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

  42. ujo Says:

    Not that I’m against spending client’s money on our dreams, for we are professionals on spending other people’s money, but I miss seeing this hercule’s job of structure from the inside of the stadium - not only from the acess area - it’s more of a skin, it could be more. I still prefer Souto de Moura’s stadium in Braga, Portugal. With a rock and stone.

    And free California.

  43. I-REN Says:

    amaizing work! the best stadium i v ever seen

  44. Free humans Says:

    Yet another masterpeice …….

    This piece of architecture demonstrated that we are all being nested by all our governments.. feeding us with untrue stories and filtered informations… lets face it.. there is no places on earth without restrictions such as taxation, right to medical care, right to freedom etc … And please think, without restrictions & orders, the world would be ruled by scums… and future would be rather grim…

    Free humans

  45. leandro locsin Says:

    a great leap for architecture! only CCTV can beat this now. =)

  46. Luc Says:

    Is there now. It has been done. For all to see. For posterity!!
    Any chance to know how much H&DM fee was?

  47. 知识分子 Says:

    FREE TIBEEEEET? 做梦!!!

  48. beckham Says:

    its not a sovereignty issue.. its abt respecting basic human rights.. able to live in peace and not get beaten up by those who claim authority over you..

  49. jeff Says:

    free tibet huh?
    haha, silly foreigners
    tell you what, 99% tibet locals don’t want a liberation from China

    you guys really should go and visit the place
    people living happily until the riots happened

    which those riots are not made by the locals!!!
    just dalilama got a nobel prize doesn’t he’s always right

    wake up man

    anyway i am a hong konger
    and don’t like communist either

    but why blame China?

  50. One Says:

    Free tibet whatever a Chinese say!

    Swiss architecture is great.

  51. joeyjoseph Says:

    “Johanna Says:
    July 30th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
    Credit should be payed where credit is due -

    Olafur Eliasson 1999 (5 dimensional pavilion): http://www.olafureliasson.net/selected_works/sw_12_1.html

    - Word

  52. nibby Says:

    well done,great design.
    go hell,”free tibet”,ignorant remarks
    YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE TRUETH
    FREE Bayern

  53. jj mckay Says:

    Free Puerto Rico. Free Guam.

    Seriously people. Read your history.

  54. jj mckay Says:

    oh by the way. Great design HdM. It makes sense it’s in China… only the Chinese would step up to the plate and fund architects like HdM, Rem, and Zaha to build what they REALLY want to build.

    … Free Hawaii as well.

  55. chinese CGI Says:

    Bozo, Honkie, matt, Zenza,One —————Hello
    Tibet will never be free, that’s solid truth. and free Tibet is only your day time dream.
    so Face it, you bunch of bugger, or DO sth. apart from being bully in cyber space.
    Cheap courage.

  56. diegoflores Says:

    it is unethical for Herzog & de Meuron to hurt tibetan’s feelings.
    Architects should only build in……..mmm they shouldnt build anywhere but their backyards…… backyards? of houses? shit who built those? specialy the ones in USA…

    Nature should destroy humanity for good. Lets just die on a forever going boycot of human activity.

  57. psychokid Says:

    what about the dead workers and smashed homes?

  58. TL Says:

    FREE WILLY!

    Got to see this stadium (behind a wall of security mind you) and it really was impressive, impressive enough to sway my opinion on it. I’m really interested on how the interior works though, you really don’t get much of an impression of it from outside.

    I don’t really understand people’s comments about the sky in the photos, it looks like a typical day there…?

  59. sudheep Says:

    its great just great!!!!!…

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