Beijing Olympic Green
Beijing Olympic Green is located at the north end of the central axis of Beijing City. Covering an area of 1135 hectares it consists of a forest park, a central area including competition venues, Olympic Village, the Main Press Center (MPC), and the International Broadcasting Center (IBC) and China Ethnic Museum. The Olympic Green will be connected with the downtown by subway and highways. The transportation system is very convenient.
Altogether 30 venues will be used in Beijing during the 29th Olympiad. Ten venues will be built in the Olympic Green. Most venues in Beijing have already been completed, though some are still under construction. An additional six cities, namely Hong Kong, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenyang and Tianjin, will also co-operate with Beijing to run the Equestrian, Sailing and the Football Preliminaries matches.

The National Stadium (The Bird’s Nest)

The National Stadium, also called the Bird's Nest because of the unique design, which is the landmark of the Olympic Green in Beijing. It has the floor area of 258,000 square meters (about 25.8 hectares) with the height of 69 meters. The circular shape represented the heaven in ancient Chinese cosmology. Designed by the famous Swiss architect Herzog & DeMeuron and China Architecture Design Institute, the stadium has a revolutionary design, which was chosen at the end of a six month long international competition. It comprises an outer skeleton of 42,000 tons of steel, and an inner 'skin' of double-layered plastic which keeps out wind and rain and filters out ultraviolet radiation. It is the biggeststeel structure in the world. The whole cost of the Bird’s Nest is USD 423 million.The national stadium is surrounded in a sort of membrane. Unlike China's NationalAquaticsCenter, or "Water Cube," another Olympic venue which is also surrounded in this membrane, the Bird's Nest version is curved and double-layered, offering gracefully decorative soundproof, wind-proof, rain-proof, and even UVA protection to its already impressive body. The outer layer of membrane, completely constructed in November of 2007, was created using 884 individual ETFE panels, covering a total of 38,500 square meters. The inner layer consists of PTFE material. 1,044 panels take up 53,000 square meters of area, whose main purposes are to better the acoustics in the stadium and to support the equipment within the steel frame. This special membrane can also help lighting within the stadium and effectively diminish glare and shadowing, allowing for a more favorable competition environment.

It is designed to last for 100 years and withstand a force eight magnitude earthquake. It has 91000 seats upon completion. Besides the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, It will be the venue for track and field games andfootball games during the Games. This Stadium will be the stage for both national and international sporting events, as well as cultural and entertainment activities after the Olympics.

The Bird’s Nest has a four-star hotel with 80 rooms under one of its sides, a gourmet restaurant with views of the athletics track, and a twin-level underground shopping centre.

Its architects also claim it is one of the most environmentally-friendly stadiums in the world, as under soil geothermal pipes help heat indoor parts of stadium in winter and rainwater is collected and stored in underground cisterns for irrigation and to flush lavatories.

The NationalAquaticsCenter (the Water Cube)

The glittering NationalAquaticsCenter, also called” Water Cube”, is another highlight of Olympic Green. It covers an area of more than 65,000 square meters (about 6.5 hectares) and has a capacity of 17,000 during the Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, and Synchronized Swimming events. The money mainly from the donations by many Chinese and Chinese associations from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and the rest of the world. The Water Cube was designed and built by a consortium made up of PTW Architects (an Australianarchitecture firm), ARUP International Engineering Group, CSCEC (China State Construction Engineering Corporation),and CCDI(China Construction Design International) of Shanghai.The Water Cube's design was initiated by a team effort: the Chinese partners felt a square was more symbolic to Chinese culture and its relationship to the Bird's Nest stadium, while the Sydney based partners came up with the idea of covering the “cube” with bubbles, symbolizing water. The Water Cube has set a new standard in environmental sports design, not only in China but throughout the world.

The unique structure of the “Water Cube”.

The design feature of the "Water Cube" is the "bubbles." The membrane structure of the "Water Cube," which is composed of more than 3000 pneumatic die cushions with a coverage area of 110, 000 square meters, is the largest in the world.

The venue's membrane structure, covered by ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) air cushions, is not only the first of its kind in China and the world's largest and most complex ETFE project, but it is also an economical and water-saving creation.

The blue-colored "hubble-bubble" material is much lighter and cheaper than conventional glazing structures with the same lighting effect. So the cost of its supporting steel structure was reduced considerably. In addition, the "Water Cube" was designed with water-saving and environmental protection efforts. According to statistics, the outer surface and roof facade can "collect" 10,000 tons of rain water, 70,000 tons of clean water and 60,000 tons of swimming pool water annually. And the venue can also save 140,000 tons of recycled water a year.

The outer wall of the "Water Cube" is composed of 3000 irregular "bubbles," which make up the ETFE membrane structure. The ETFE membrane has good ductility and crushing resistance. After air inflated, every piece of membrane can resist the weight of a car. It also has good resistance against fire and intense heat. Tests have proven that the strength of the membrane structure of the NationalAquaticCenter can meet these stability requirements, even in bad weather conditions such as hailstones. The whole structure can withstand a force eight magnitude earthquake. The structure is designed to last for 100 years.

'Water Cube' keeps comfortable humidity with no steam.

It can maintain spring-like warm temperatures with a comfortable level of humidity amid the city's chilly outdoor circumstances. And even in the city's humid August, the venue will be fully dew prevented.

As a completely enclosed swimming gymnasium, a potential problem with high humidity was taken into consideration in the design. A unique approach was taken in the air-conditioning system. With sustainable development as its design principle, a strict temperature and humidity control system was built with recycled hot water to supply an air-conditioning system in the living area and the swimming pool.

In addition, other cooling methods, such as outdoor and indoor air recycling systems, solar energy and double-deck ventilation devices, successfully maintain comfortable temperatures and stable humidity of between 50 and 60 percent in the venue.

Another potential problem that might affect swimmers in the pool or divers on the springboard is dew dropping from the rooftop.

To solve this problem, the designers started with the thermal requirement of the building shell, retaining a far smaller heat transfer coefficient for the building shell than for the quality glass walls. Meanwhile, they engineered the airflow in this spacious building with air-conditioning systems and swimming and leisure pools, and they devised a way to optimize the ventilation frequency at the upper spaces of the building using the building's air supply, return inlets, and exhaust outlets. In addition, a heating air supply system was installed at the ramp that clings to the lower end of the roof, while an air ventilation system was installed at the fa?ade of the building shell.

The "Water Cube" can breathe.

Eight fans which discharge the air naturally are set on the roof and the body of the "Water Cube." After fresh air enters the building, it can be discharged through the cavum in the roof. This is how the heating within the building is released.

The "Water Cube" can "wash its face" by itself.

The ETFE membrane is self-cleaning in nature. Since the friction coefficient of the material is small, dust does not easily attach onto the structure. Even if dust does collect on it, as long as it rains, the surface is washed by rain water.

Insulation and ventilation keep temperatures pleasant year-round at NAC.

In spite of clear skies, Beijing, in the depths of winter, has a frigid coldness about it that can be attributed to strong winds from the northwest. The cold does not mitigate even as you stand before the NationalAquaticsCenter admiring its beauty. Upon walking inside, however, you immediately feel the warmth of the building -- warmth that might remind you of pleasant springtime temperatures.

It turns out that the space between the air-pillow walls of the "Water Cube," as the National Aquatics Center (NAC) is also known, is completely sealed off, creating a layer of. Insulation.

In the summer, a meter-high vent works to regulate the NAC's temperature indoors through heat exchange, by drawing indoor heat out of and cooler outdoor air into the venue. In the winter the vent is sealed off, and the warm indoor temperatures remain constant.

To address potential problems with heat from direct sunlight, the membrane layers between the two layers of air pillows have different degrees of density to control the amount of sunlight that is let into the NAC. This works in part also to reduce the amount of heat brought about by the sun and helps keep the indoor temperatures under control. The "Water Cube's indoor environment fully took into consideration the requirements of both athletes and spectators. The main competition hall and water recreation hall both make use of advanced ventilation systems.

Since construction began, the designers had monitored various parameters at the venue, including changes in wind pressure, wind movement and temperature field. This data has resulted in the ability to keep the venue's indoor temperatures constant year-round.

Olympic Village
With a land area of 80 hectares and a total building floor area of 470,000 square meters, the Olympic Village, located within the Olympic Green, will accommodate 17,600 athletes and team officials. A 680-hectare "Forest Park" will also be created within the Olympic Village.
The Olympic Village will provide safe and comfortable facilities to help athletes achieve their peak performance during the Games. The Residential Quarter located in the western part of the Village consists of apartment buildings, dining halls, and other facilities. The International Quarter located in the eastern part of the Village will provide leisure facilities and cultural activities for athletes.
After the Games, the Village will become a residential area.
The Emblem of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" embodies the Olympic spirit and traditional Chinese culture. The art of calligraphy and Chinese seal carving are well applied in the emblem, which created an image of a running sportsman. The image also seems like the Chinese character for capital that implies the host city of Beijing. It also shows the friendliness, hospitality and peace-loving of Chinese people.
The Mascots (Fuwa) of Beijing Olympic Games
The mascots of Beijing Olympic Games, also called “Fuwa” consist of five images namely a fish, a panda, the Olympic flame, a Tibetan antelope and a swallow. The mascots convey a message of friendship and peace together with the dream that mankind and nature can live in great harmony.
Each of the five images has been given a nice name - Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini. When these are read together thus 'Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni' it means 'Welcome to Beijing' in Chinese. Each image conveys different wishes and meanings: Beibei (the fish), symbolizes prosperity and richness; Jingjing, a lovely panda symbolizes the harmonious existence between human and nature; Huanhuan (the Olympic flame), regarded as the elder brother of the five, expresses the Olympic spirit, while Yingying, the Tibet antelope wishes everyone in the world good health and the swallow Nini brings happiness and good luck. As the five images are colored blue, black, red, yellow and green respectively they well match the Five Olympic Rings and they also coincide with the old belief of Five Elements in Chinese philosophy.
Each mascot stands for different sports as follows:

Mascot	Games
	Sailing, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Diving, Canoe/ Kayak Flatwater, Water Polo Swimming, Synchronized Swimming
	Baseball, Archery, Judo, Wrestling, Shooting, Boxing, Weightlifing
	Triathlon, Football, BMX(Bicycle Motocross), Handball, Taekwondo, Judo Wrestling, Basketball, Modern Pentathlon
	Artistic Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Hockey, Road Cycling, Mountain Bike Athletics, Tennis
	Trampoline, Badminton, Fencing, Rowing, Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Soft Ball, Track Cycling

The Beijing Olympic venues map:

New venues in Beijing:

Existing Venues in Beijing:

Temporary Venues in Beijing:

Venues in Partner Cities:

The Forbidden City The Tiananmen Square The Summer Palace The Great Wall The Ming Tombs The Lama Temple The Hutong Tour The Panda Bear Zoo The Temple of Heaven Beijing Olympic Green