Beijing 2008: Olympic Architecture

With the Beijing Olympics just around the corner (August 8 - 24th) there has been a flurry of articles to read-up on before the games begin. Subjects ranging from the removal of dog meat from hotel and restaurant menus, unfavorable weather meddlings on 08/08/08, and another on the strict and tunnel-visioned rules applying to foreigners attending the Olympics. Those and many other articles providing insight into the process of hosting the Olympic games have given us, media-biased like-it-or-not, a picture of the other side of the world. It is an image which peers into the life and culture shared by over 1 billion people - in China alone.

Here's an interesting article about Beijing's "Olympic face-lift"

With pictures of Beijing being plastered everywhere around the globe, each one speaking a thousand words, the Olympic architecture was destined to have a profound effect on the outside world looking in.

Here are a couple of articles (and pictures) about the larger-than-life buildings erected for the 2008 Olympic games:

1)http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/07/beijing_2008_preparations_thre.html
2)http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/gallery/2008/feb/08/architecture.china?picture=332441725
3)http://www.china.org.cn/english/2004/Jan/84895.htm
4)http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071212.BEIJING12/TPStory/specialTravel/?pageRequested=2



"Bird's Nest" designed by Swiss architects Herzog and De Meuron.


Olympic Aquatic Center.


Central Chinese Television building designed by Ram Koolhass.


Completed Central Chinese Television building (rendering).


Beijing Airport Terminal designed by Foster + Partners.


National Grand Theater by French architect Jean Andreu.

Take a peek at the Olympics' official website: http://en.beijing2008.cn/