for the Olympics main stadium the city
wants a stunning design worthy of the
event
in 2002 officials announced a global
competition
among the dozens of entrance our Swiss
architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre
Demara
they’re drawn to the challenge of
working in Beijing this was the
opportunity for us to do major building
in Beijing which was really public
really a new place
China’s about to get back to where it
once was to become the most influential
culture in the world to be part of that
energy is another amazing moment in our
lives
the Pritzker Prize winning architects
are best known for converting London’s
Tate Modern Museum they’ve also designed
other sports venues such as the famous
Allianz Arena in Munich but this job is
one of their most challenging yet they
have no idea how the Chinese will react
there are differences to our Western
ways of thinking and to discover this
step-by-step is a marvelous personal
experience and that brings you back to
the Chinese way of doing things
they decide to consult one of China’s
leading artists hi Weiwei who inspires
them to push the limits they are very
different from all the architects I know
they would have started from zero is
there’s nothing in their mind when they
start
he was always encouraging us to go
beyond this or that but to really take
this as a chance to do something that
couldn’t be done somewhere else they
come up with a concept inspired by old
Chinese art with sweeping lines arranged
around a circular vessel we were clear
that do you want to something else and
it should be really an object for the
people but something which has more
character of like a big pot or a big
vessel for people to go in but though
the inspiration is ancient the team
wants the building to be a contemporary
icon and a public space for the people a
new place like perhaps comparable to
Paris the Eiffel Tower which was also
made for an event but then became an
icon of the city the idea was much more
this idea of the membrane of something
which has a kind of inviting quality the
way people can go in and go out the
space especially people can undertake
themselves they can dance they can sing
they can Tai Chi they can use the space
and the Chinese people love to do that
they use public space and that’s perhaps
also what makes the stadium really
Chinese
but the architects need to do more than
just come up with a stunning design they
need to be confident that it can be
engineered into an Olympic arena they
team up with engineering experts from
our in England and China’s architectural
design and research group it should be a
building you never seen before in the
world together they refine the plans to
win the commission and collectively hold
their breath
wants a stunning design worthy of the
event
in 2002 officials announced a global
competition
among the dozens of entrance our Swiss
architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre
Demara
they’re drawn to the challenge of
working in Beijing this was the
opportunity for us to do major building
in Beijing which was really public
really a new place
China’s about to get back to where it
once was to become the most influential
culture in the world to be part of that
energy is another amazing moment in our
lives
the Pritzker Prize winning architects
are best known for converting London’s
Tate Modern Museum they’ve also designed
other sports venues such as the famous
Allianz Arena in Munich but this job is
one of their most challenging yet they
have no idea how the Chinese will react
there are differences to our Western
ways of thinking and to discover this
step-by-step is a marvelous personal
experience and that brings you back to
the Chinese way of doing things
they decide to consult one of China’s
leading artists hi Weiwei who inspires
them to push the limits they are very
different from all the architects I know
they would have started from zero is
there’s nothing in their mind when they
start
he was always encouraging us to go
beyond this or that but to really take
this as a chance to do something that
couldn’t be done somewhere else they
come up with a concept inspired by old
Chinese art with sweeping lines arranged
around a circular vessel we were clear
that do you want to something else and
it should be really an object for the
people but something which has more
character of like a big pot or a big
vessel for people to go in but though
the inspiration is ancient the team
wants the building to be a contemporary
icon and a public space for the people a
new place like perhaps comparable to
Paris the Eiffel Tower which was also
made for an event but then became an
icon of the city the idea was much more
this idea of the membrane of something
which has a kind of inviting quality the
way people can go in and go out the
space especially people can undertake
themselves they can dance they can sing
they can Tai Chi they can use the space
and the Chinese people love to do that
they use public space and that’s perhaps
also what makes the stadium really
Chinese
but the architects need to do more than
just come up with a stunning design they
need to be confident that it can be
engineered into an Olympic arena they
team up with engineering experts from
our in England and China’s architectural
design and research group it should be a
building you never seen before in the
world together they refine the plans to
win the commission and collectively hold
their breath
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