Art History Research Paper

Comparison of The Olympic Stadium in Berlin Germany, and the Olympic Stadium in Beijing China

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90783/91300/6463338.html

Sunni Singh Fall 2012

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The Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany.

The Olympic Stadium that currently stands in Berlin, Germany was built from 1934 to 1936.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=672780&page=51 The stadium was designed by Werner March, there was a stadium created before this one called Duetsches Stadion, which was designed by the same family, Werner March's father, Otto March, for the summer olympic games of 1916. Werner Julius March was born on January 17, 1894 in Charlottenburg, and died on January 11, 1976 in Berlin and had originally designed the Olympiastadion for the 1936 Summer Olympics in the southern part of the Reichssportfeld. which is today known as Olympia park Berlin. The building had cost 43 Million Reichsmark.

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http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=672780&page=51

In 1931, the International Olympic Committee made Berlin the host city of the 11th Summer Olympics. Originally, the German government decided to just restore the earlier Duetsches Stadion of 1916, and they had put the architect Werner March in charge of the project. In 1933, the Nazis decided to use the Olympic Games for their propaganda purposes. Hitler ordered the construction of a great sports complex in Grunewald named the "Reichssportfeld" with a totally new Olympiastadion. The Nazis decided to keep Werner March in charge of the project, who was assisted by his brother, Walter March. The construction for the Olympiastadion took place from 1934 to 1936. When it was nished, it was 1.32 square kilometers (326 acres). It included in order from east to west: the Olympiastadion, the Maifeld (Mayeld), which had a capacity of 50,000 and the Waldbhne amphitheater which had a capacity of 25,000, among other buildings for different sports in the northern area. The building was renovated in 2006 for the World Cup (Soccer). The renovations cost 247 million pounds, and consisted of: 70,000 cubic meters of concrete and 20,000 cubic meters of pre-cast reinforced concrete elements, 12,000 cubic meters of concrete was demolished and removed and 30,000 cubic meters of natural stone was refurbished. The roof was also
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extended to cover a total of 37,000 square meters. The playing eld was also lowered 2.65 meters and about 90,000 cubic meters of sand was excavated.

http://www.panoramio.com/m/photo/55277834

The Olympic Stadium in Beijing, China.

The Olympic Stadium in Beijing, China, was built from December 24, 2003 and was completed on June 28, 2008.

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http://en.beijing2008.cn/cptvenues/venues/nst/n214078095.shtml

The leading artist was Ai Weiwei who was the artistic consultant on the project, who worked for a Swiss architect rm called: Herzog & de Meuron, which is the rm that was in charge of the project. The Olympic Stadium in Beijing, China, also known as the National Stadium or Bird's Nest, is located in the Olympic Green, the stadium cost US$423million in order to build. The design, originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof which gave the stadium the appearance of a bird's nest which is where it got its nickname. The retractable roof was later removed from the design after inspiring the stadium's most recognizable aspect. Ground was broken on 24 December 2003 and the stadium ofcially opened on 28 June 2008.

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http://satellite-view.blogspot.com/2007/09/todays-site-from-space-beijing-national.html

After a collapse of a roof at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport, Beijing ofcials reviewed all major projects, and it was decided to eliminate the retractable roof, which was the original inspiration for the "nest" design. By removing all these pieces from the structure, it helped to bring the project under the reduced construction budget of $290million, from an original $500million. With the elimination of the the retractable roof the building was lightened, which helped it stand up to seismic activity, but, the upper section of the roof was altered to protect fans from weather. Enerpac was granted the contract to perform the stage lifting and lowering of the stadium roof as part of the renovation process.

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http://v15.nonxt4.c.bigcache.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/ 13408030.jpg?redirect_counter=1 The eastern and western stands of the Bird's Nest are higher than the northern and southern stands. They did this in order to improve sight lines. They also Incorporated a 24-hour per day rainwater collector which is located near the stadium, after the water is puried, it is used throughout and around the stadium. The pipes placed under the playing surface gather heat in the winter to warm the stadium and coldness in the summer to cool the stadium. The stadium's design originally called for a capacity of 100,000 people; however 9,000 were removed during the rethought process when the roof at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport collapsed. The new total of 91,000 would be shaved further when 11,000 temporary seats were removed after the 2008 Olympics; bringing the stadium's capacity to 80,000. The temperature and airow of every surface were maximized to increase ventilation

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http://yeinjee.com/beijing-olympic-bird-nest/

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Work Cited
"Beijing 2008 Olympics." People's Daily Online. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http:// english.people.com.cn/90001/90783/91300/6463338.html>. "Beijing National Stadium." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_National_Stadium>. "Beijing Olympics 2008 the Birds Nest." Beijing Olympics 2008 the Birds Nest. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://yeinjee.com/beijing-olympic-bird-nest/>. "The Best Olympic Stadium Ever? - SkyscraperCity." SkyscraperCity. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=672780>. "The National Stadium." - The Ofcial Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://en.beijing2008.cn/cptvenues/venues/nst/ n214078095.shtml>. "Olympic Stadium (Berlin)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Stadium_(Berlin)>. "Panoramio - Photo of Olympic Stadium, Berlin. Panoramio. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://www.panoramio.com/m/photo/55277834>. Panoramio. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. <http://v15.nonxt4.c.bigcache.googleapis.com/ static.panoramio.com/photos/original/13408030.jpg?redirect_counter=1>. Satellite-View. Sept. 2009. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://satelliteview.blogspot.com/2007/09/todays-site-from-space-beijing-national.html>.

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