The Bird's Nest and Water Cube

In my Plan an Awesome Trip entry I mentioned about the how I got into this whole China Trip. The whole China experience will not be complete without us visiting the primary reason for all this awesome experiences! Qing and I were like little kids about to finally see the power rangers in person, yes the power rangers were the coolest things when i was a kid! but this time its the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube!

My friend and I intentionally planned not to see the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube during daytime, since we both agreed it is better to come there once it is dark because of the magnificent lightings of both  structures.

Beijing National Aquatics Center

fondly called as the Water Cube, hosted the swimming, diving and synchronized swimming events. Contrary to what its name suggest it is actually not a cube but a cuboid or in simpler term a rectangular box.

Beijing National Aquatics Center

The Water Cube was specially designed and built by a consortium comprising of PTW Architects, Arup International Engineering Group, the China State Construction Engineering Corporation and the China Construction Design International of Shanghai.

Back View of the Water Cube

The structure comprise of a steel space frame, it is the largest ETFE ( a kind of plastic designed to have high corrosion resistance and strength to over a wide temperature range) clad structure in the world with over 100,000 sq. m of ETFE "pillows" that are only 0.2mm thick. The ETFE cladding allows more light and heat penetration than traditional glass, resulting in a 30% decrease in energy costs.  Now that is Efficient!

Closer View of the Water Cube

After the 2008 Summer Olympics the Water cube was opened to the public as a water park. The redesigned Water Cube contains numerous water rides and slides, a wave pool and spa areas.

Interior of the Water Cube

Walls inside the Water Cube

Coffee Shops Snack Bars inside the Water Cube

Right next to the Water Cube is the Bird's Nest.

Beijing National Stadium

The Bird's Nest is considered to be the centerpiece of the numerous structures built for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. It hosted the opening as well as the closing ceremony, athletics and football finals.

Beijing National Stadium

The Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron is responsible for the design, which is said to be inspired by from the study of Chinese ceramics. Leading and equally controversial Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei served as the artistic consultant for the design project.

Closer look at the Bird's nest

The Bird's Nest from a different view.

Initially designed to have a retractable roof, the plan later changed after the collapse of a roof at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport. The eastern and western stands of the Bird's Nest are higher than the northern and southern stands, in order to improve the sight lines.

Jumping in front of the Bird's Nest

In 2008, my friend and I started talking about China, we agreed to visit China after college but didn't really plan out anything after that. Two years later my friend and I are having the time of our lives experiencing what we once only talked about. 

My point is, the best things are worth the wait!