Page 46 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Beijing

44 ❯❯ The Top 10 of Everything

The Olympic Legacy

The iconic architecture of the National Olympic Stadium (Bird’s Nest)
National Olympic
Digital Beijing Building
1 4
Stadium (Bird’s Nest)
Designed by Beijing-based
Studio Pei Zhu, Digital Beijing Designed in collaboration with the
served as the Games’ Control and Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, the National
Data Center. It resembles a barcode Olympic Stadium is an architectural
from one side and an integrated icon. Its outer ribbons of structural
circuit board from the other. It now steel resemble the woven twigs of
accom modates a virtual museum a bird’s nest as they loop and swirl
and an exhibition center. over the 91,000-seat arena, hence
the building’s nickname.
Olympic Green
5
The vast Olympic Green
surrounds the Olympic Village and
extends beyond the fifth ring road.
At its heart is a dragon-shaped lake,
as well as waterfalls, meadows, and
streams. Entry is free.
Olympic Green
6
National Aquatics Center/Water Cube Convention Center
This building hosted the fencing
National Aquatics
2 events during the Games, as
Center/Water Cube
well as providing a home for the
Inspired by bubbles and molecules, International Broadcasting Center.
the dramatic-looking Water Cube is Its distinctive shape mirrors the
a complex of five pools. After the traditional Chinese “flying roof” and
Olympic Games, it was transformed acts as a giant rain water collector.
into a giant water park with slides The building is now a multipurpose
and a wave pool (see p49). conference center.
Beijing Airport,
National Indoor Stadium
3 7
Terminal 3
Built to host gymnastics and
handball during the 2008 Games, One of the world’s largest and
this stadium boasts a curving roof most advanced airport buildings,
with slatted beams, inspired by Lord Norman Foster’s Terminal 3
Chinese folding fans. Post-Olympics, welcomed international athletes
it stages entertainment events. to the 2008 Olympics. The design
Eyewitness Travel – Top 10 series LAYERS PRINTED:
Two-column, 8.5pt grid “UK” LAYER
(SourceReport v.1.9)
044-045_Top_10_Beijing.indd 44 27/06/2017 14:32
Date 24th June 2015
Size 100mm x 191mm