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Introduction
Throughout history, structures have been a symbol of a country’s power and wealth on a national and often times, international level. In Ancient Egypt, the Great Pyramids are a witness to the greatest civilization of that time. The Eiffel Tower, constructed as a symbol for the Exposition Universelle of 1889, is a demonstration of France’s power and survives today as a popular tourist attraction. Even more recent is the Beijing National Stadium or Bird’s Nest, located in Beijing, China. It opened in mid-2008 in anticipation for the 2008 Olympics. The stadium is a spectacular sight, whose unique design and beauty show through its intricate arrangement of outer steel beams and brilliant golden glow at night. Despite its unique design, the National Stadium was built to impress, and in the process, lost sight of many of the fundamentals necessary to survive as a testament to structural art.

Structural Description
Construction on the Beijing National Stadium began on December 23, 2003 and was completed in early 2008. It cost $423million in 2008 dollars. It was designed by Herzog & de Meuron in collaboration with the China Architectural Design and Research Group. The stadium is oval in shape spanning 332.3m along its major axis, 296.4m along the minor axis, and 68.5m at its highest point. The stadium can seat 80,000 normally and 91,000 when the demountable seats are used. The exterior is made from steel which surrounds the concrete pillars.

Qualifications as Structural Art
Structural art is a term used to describe structures that have surpassed the norm in terms of science, social, and symbolic. They have achieved the more stringent requirements of efficiency, economy, and elegance. The following critique analyzes the qualifications of the Beijing National Stadium as structural art by examining its science, social, and symbolic aspects.

Science
Construction of the 91,000 seat National Stadium began in December 2003 and completed in early 2008. The stadium required complex parametric analysis to satisfy its bowl shape and provide optimal viewing of all Olympic sports from anywhere in the stadium. There are 24 concrete columns distributed randomly forming the foundation of support for the National Stadium. Surrounding the pillars are 110,000 tons of steel spanning a total of 36km en-wrapping the bowl-shaped stadium giving it its famous Bird’s Nest-like appearance. The roof is made from a double layer of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene for transparency and protection from rain. Structurally, the steel was chosen as part of the earthquake resistant design, but the amount of steel used to encircle the building is excessive. For example, the Centennial Olympic Stadium in Atlanta had a maximum capacity of 85,000 and only used 8,000 tons of steel. The main stresses in this structure are compression due to its own weight much of which is from the roof. The forces follow the steel beams around the exterior to one of the 24 columns where the load is transmitted to the ground; however, because the steel beams are arranged for aesthetic purposes, it fails as an efficient load transfer. Only the design of the National Stadium has been analyzed thus far, but accompanying the design is a cost. Cleveland Bridge U.K. were involved in the early stages to develop steel erection methodologies for this very complex structure.

Social
The National Stadium cost $423 million to construct. Seven months into construction, it was temporarily suspended as people began complaining about its cost. Of course, the cost is great, but it does not even rank among the top 10 most expensive stadiums. Even though the cost is relatively cheap, the stadium has had little economic or social success. Since the 2008 Olympics, the Bird’s Nest has only hosted a few events. To combat this lack of activity, many plans have been implemented to revive the stadium including use as an indoor ski ground. A hotel and shopping mall are being built nearby as well; however, none has been successful in offsetting the daily operating cost of $30,000 let alone the cost of construction. The future of the Bird’s Nest is uncertain as it continues operating in the negative since a viable use of the stadium has yet to be found.

Symbolic
The National Stadium cannot escape its negative slump without recovering the ideals upon which it was originally constructed. Chinese President Hu Jintao said the structure must “enhance the confidence, the spirit of striving, the self-pride and coherence of all Chinese people.” Initially, his vision manifested as millions gathered for the Olympics amazed by the complexity and beauty of the structure. However, the fever soon died down and a few months later, the stadium was unable to make back its daily operation cost of $30,000. The hopes of President Jintao are not uncommon for Olympic Stadiums. As Forbes mentions, Olympic stadium construction is always “an opportunity to outdo everyone else.” The Chinese accomplished just that with the Bird’s Nest as the whole world watched the spectacles of the 2008 Olympics. The design contributed to the marvels of the building. The beautiful lighting and unique exterior combined with a retractable roof made the stadium an object of envy. Unfortunately, its symbolism extends only as far as a fascinating Olympic Stadium and lacked a longer lasting impression. Furthermore, the economic worries the stadium present prevent Bird’s Nest from transforming into a timeless symbol like other structures.

Conclusion: Beauty at a Cost
The Beijing National Stadium is an amazing architectural feat. The unique design and grid-like network of steel beams create a structure that amazed millions during the 2008 Olympics. It was a symbol of China’s incredible advancement over the past century; however, the effects were temporary. The 110,000 tons of steel are inefficiently placed for aesthetics and the exorbitant costs tied to the stadium restrain its accessibility for other uses. Now, the Beijing National Stadium exists as a memory of the 2008 Olympics, but is unable to transcend into structural art.