Bird's Nest: Personalized design furnishes best experience for the audience
(BEIJING, October 3) -- The unique bowl-shaped stands of the National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest," will offer a pleasant experience to audiences during the Games, says the project undertakers.
According to a manual released by the Beijing 2008 Project Construction Headquarters Office, the stands of the Olympic main stadium form a three-dimensional bowl enclosing the competition field with wave-like edges and partially staggered rows, allowing for a fixed distance of roughly 140 meters from anywhere in the stands to the central field. This design, in particular, can make the athletes feel as if they are actors on the stage surrounded by large crowds, creating a favorable atmosphere for the competition.
To make spectators comfortable with the heat and wind, the designers resolved to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CDF) simulation based on the Games-time situation -- the exact figures of the steel structure and membranes and a capacity of 91,000 spectators -- to calculate the temperature and airflow speed at each angle of the structure and optimize all ventilation facilities accordingly. Spectators can thereby enjoy natural sunlight and wind, regardless of where they are seated.
The football field of the stadium covers an area of 8,000 sq m, providing enough space for the underground pipes of the geothermal heat pump (GHP) system, through which ground-source energy is collected. In the winter, the heat from the soil can be absorbed to heat the stadium, and in the summer, the coldness from the soil can be stored to cool the stadium.
The landmark structure will be the venue for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. It will also play host to the track and field and football events during the Games
