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August 7, 2008 The XXIX Olympic Games will be inaugurated tomorrow in Beijing. For the first time hosted in China and, as has occurred for various previous editions, the event has also occasioned the construction of works of architecture of international importance. The two main sports facilities are the National Stadium and the National Swimming Centre. Sited close to one another, they both present a strong recognizability deriving from their formal characterisation. The National Stadium, already renamed “Bird’s Nest” for its reticular structure, was designed by the Herzog & de Meuron studio of Basel and will host the track and field events. The National Swimming Centre, called the “Watercube” for its casing that recalls water bubbles, was designed by the Australian PTW Architects studio and will obviously host the swimming and diving competitions. In addition to the sports facilities, major town planning projects have also been realised, along with other notable buildings, including the Terminal 3 of the International Airport by Foster + Partners, the Central Headquarters of the Chinese Television by Rem Koolhaas – OMA, and the Opera-house by Paul Andreu. |
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