Olympic Stadium: Beijing National Stadium

[NY20??]

It’s surrounded by scaffolding, giving it a more bulkier look.

And it’s way too far away from the stadium to be a cauldron tower. It would have to get twice its current height, if not higher, to be seen from the stadium field.

The open area around the stage should accommodate all the attending athletes.

The area around this supposed stage dosen't look big enough accomodate all the athletes, unless they spill onto the track area. But, doing that may not leave enough room for the atheles that are still coming in during the Parada, the Olympic flag, and the flame at the end to make their lap around the track.

[baron-pierreIV]

1. It’s surrounded by scaffolding, giving it a more bulkier look.

2. And it’s way too far away from the stadium to be a cauldron tower. It would have to get twice its current height, if not higher, to be seen from the stadium field.

3. The area around this supposed stage dosen't look big enough accomodate all the athletes, unless they spill onto the track area. But, doing that may not leave enough room for the atheles that are still coming in during the Parada, the Olympic flag, and the flame at the end to make their lap around the track.

1. That's not scaffolding; that's the finished look of the tower. If you will look closely -- look at the base on the ground, that's too finished and solid to be mere scaffolding. Besides, how would that tower stand without that so-called 'scaffolding'?

2. If it's a distance from the stadium, it's also for safety reasons. So that should it topple (either the wind or an earthquake), it would not damage the stadium. Also, it's NOT required that it be seen from the stadium field -- given the style of the stadium. The IOC wouldn't be so ridiculous as to require a height that is unsafe.

3. Oh, they will make it fit. In previous OCs, the infields were never really packed. They will just have to squish them in -- because they are being brought in earlier than in previous OCs. Besides, with the number of sulking nations, there may only be like 7000 or so athletes marching in anyway.

Edited April 10, 2008 by baron-pierreIV

[Olympian2004]

1. That's not scaffolding; that's the finished look of the tower. If you will look closely -- look at the base on the ground, that's too finished and solid to be mere scaffolding. Besides, how would that tower stand without that so-called 'scaffolding'?

Umm... But you are well aware that this picture

is only an artistic impression and not a real image?

The real photos look very much as if the tower is still scaffolded. At least it looks different than on the artistic impression above.

[baron-pierreIV]

Umm... But you are well aware that this picture

is only an artistic impression and not a real image?

The real photos look very much as if the tower is still scaffolded. At least it looks different than on the artistic impression above.

Yeah, I am/was going by the rendering. Of course, all that construction 'scaffolding' will have to come down.

[NY20??]

Correction. It's not simply a communications tower. It's actually a habitable building, with studios and such for broadcasts during the Games. It's called the "LingLong Pagoda."

http://www.bob2008.com/news_updates.html#rwaov

2. The IOC wouldn't be so ridiculous as to require a height that is unsafe.

If it really will be used a cauldron-tower, an "unsafe" height is exactly what would be needed for it to be seen from anywhere inside the stadium. Take a look at this picture:

They would have to add about 1/2, or so, of it's current height for it to be technically visible form anywhere inside the stadium. Considering it’s been in construction since June of 2007, they probably won’t be able to build that much by June when it's intended to be finished, as that site claims. And if they do somehow manage to build that much, I doubt it would be seen by a decent amount of spectators inside the stadium (because of that overwhelming roof) to favor this cauldron placement over others.

[Olympian2004]

I absolutely don't expect it to be the cauldron tower. And that's actually all I have to say about that.

[mattygs]

Latest pic of the stadium

[NY20??]

All those grey seats in the third tier only make the grey roof structure look that much more overwhelming over eveything else.

...And to think that the roof's opening would have been smaller if they kept the retractable roof. D:

[baron-pierreIV]

All those grey seats in the third tier only make the grey roof structure look that much more overwhelming over eveything else.

...And to think that the roof's opening would have been smaller if they kept the retractable roof. D:

I don't know why you keep saying a Tower Cauldron, if there is to be one, must be visible from within BN. Wherever it will be placed, about 3/5ths of the stadium will NOT be able to see it -- so why even bother with trying to make it visible from within? It is NOT a requirement. And when the Olympic crowds enter and leave the stadium, they will see it. It's going to be there. No one's going to steal it.

Edited April 12, 2008 by baron-pierreIV

[mattperiolat]

Am I the only one who finds the stadium somewhat... forbidding? It's the massive overhang of the roof that just makes it feel somewhat... I dunno.

What's up with the column in the center of the infield? Staging area for the speeches following the Parade of Nations?

[Rob2012]

Messy from the outside, forbidding and dark on the inside. No, you're not the only one Matt.

[thatsnotmypuppy]

All those grey seats in the third tier only make the grey roof structure look that much more overwhelming over eveything else.

They haven't installed seats in a large part of the stadium yet - including most of the third teir. All seats will be red.

[Olympian2004]

They haven't installed seats in a large part of the stadium yet - including most of the third teir. All seats will be red.

Well, if you look at this picture, it seems as if they've installed white or lightly grey seats in between those red seats -- and create a pattern in which, from field level up to the highest seat rows, the white/grey seats get more numerous and thus the red colour of the lower tiers "fades out".

[james]

They haven't installed seats in a large part of the stadium yet - including most of the third teir. All seats will be red.

You guyz are looking at old pictures cos the official website says all the 80,000 seats have been installed.

http://photo.beijing2008.cn/news-214242098-214047920.html

[james]

If you look closely at this photo the floor of the stadium has been rsurfaced.

[baron-pierreIV]

They haven't installed seats in a large part of the stadium yet - including most of the third teir. All seats will be red.

It's good feng shui not to install all the seats until the night before Opening.

Edited April 12, 2008 by baron-pierreIV

[NY20??]

I don't know why you keep saying a Tower Cauldron, if there is to be one, must be visible from within BN... It is NOT a requirement.

Ah, I didn't know that it wasn't a requirement.

But still, a cauldron visible from the inside stadium would be the most preferred option (regardless of requirement), whether that be a Seoul-like placement, or a tower that's actually right next to the stadium. Those are more probable than having it atop some broadcasting building.

[Olympian2004]

And I tell you: There won't be a cauldron which is practically invisible from inside the stadium. It's unimaginable that the athletic events in the National Stadium take place without the Olympic Flame in sight. For what does one need an Olympic Flame when it isn't visible from the main venue?

That's why there's still no alternative for me: The cauldron will be situated at the stadium. May it be a cauldron suspended above the field or the "Seoul solution".

[Faster]

Beijing has been doing things by their own beat since the beginning and have shown little interest in anything coming out of Switzerland. Beijing will do what they wish and that includes the cauldron. Beijing my decided to do whatever they wish as a cauldron and may be something we have seen before or something completely different. It is only assumed that the stadium was designed without the cauldron in mind, but as we have seen from construction their was thought into the stadium design in accordance to the ceremonies.

There is multiple problems with the cauldron placement:

material under the skeleton

a very tight stands to field placement

IAAF requirements about objects on the and near the field of competition

So it is not impossible to think that the cauldron may well just be a tall tower outside of the stadium like Torino.

[baron-pierreIV]

Just a minor structural detail if indeed a Seoul-like tower were to be used: where will it go?

Take a look at the depth of the canopy overhang. It hangs over and COVERS the entire seating sections and more. So unless the whole ROOF inadvertently becomes a living cauldron or you have a 4-foot high cauldron, the stadium design allows for NO clearance whatsover for a Cauldron tower to be installed on the edge of the field.

Edited April 13, 2008 by baron-pierreIV

[Olympian2004]

Just a minor structural detail if indeed a Seoul-like tower were to be used: where will it go?

Take a look at the depth of the canopy overhang. It hangs over and COVERS the entire seating sections and more. So unless the whole ROOF inadvertently becomes a living cauldron or you have a 4-foot high cauldron, the stadium design allows for NO clearance whatsover for a Cauldron tower to be installed on the edge of the field.

As usual, you exaggerate blatantly. You can build a cauldron much taller than four feet until the flame gets close to the roof. What is the height of the roof? -- 180, 190, 200 feet? The Seoul cauldron stood 72 feet. So it would easily fit into National Stadium.

[baron-pierreIV]

No, I don't think it would be 180-200 ft. That would be about the height of an 18-20 storey building. OUtside, I don't think the stadium is taller than an average 10-storey tall building. My guess is that the overhang at its highest point would be no more than 95 ft (so, a 9-storey bldg.) inside. And at its lower points (remember the roof slopes down at the far ends) -- what 80 feet or so?

So a tower would have to be around 60-70-ft high to play it safe. Any higher than that doesn't really leave you with much room for, say, a 90-foot clearance? They'd have to keep a more modest flame because the ceiling would turn black in no time at all. Not to mention it would get pretty hot in that section as I'm sure, some of the heat would be trapped in the ceiling and rise to the higher bleachers.

[Olympian2004]

No, I don't think it would be 180-200 ft. That would be about the height of an 18-20 storey building. OUtside, I don't think the stadium is taller than an average 10-storey tall building. My guess is that the overhang at its highest point would be no more than 95 ft (so, a 9-storey bldg.) inside. And at its lower points (remember the roof slopes down at the far ends) -- what 80 feet or so?

According to the user "AATAATAATAAT" (which is our friend rav3n, I believe) on the SkyscraperCity forum, the National Stadium is 69.2 metres (227 ft.) high:

Scroll to posting #554

When I see the picture from the outside of the stadium (posting #553), it appears to me that in the centre of the stadium, the roof's height is reduced by about a quarter. So it's probably still 52 metres (170 ft.) high at that point. And at the picture above, just compare the roof's height to the height of the people running on the track: Assuming that those people measure more than two feet, there's no way that the roof above them is only 95 feet high.

[Torchbearer AA]

They haven't installed seats in a large part of the stadium yet - including most of the third teir. All seats will be red.

Actually all permanent seats are installes yet.

http://en.beijing2008.cn/cptvenues/venues/...214242098.shtml

[james]

It can be pratical if the cauldron is digital to make it more enviromentally friendly. The idea of smoky type cauldron, in this time that the green house effect is having untold skeptical feeling of fear in most of us, would be primitive.