film

Bird’s Nest: Herzog and De Meuron in China

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Director(s)	Christoph Schaub, Michael Schindhelm
Release Date	1969
Work In Progress	n
Runtime	88 min
Youth Media	n

Film Description

Many events of the continuing Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are taking place in the brand new, 100,000-seat National Stadium. But design plans for this massive structure began in 2003, when Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron were selected by the Chinese government to design the new stadium, which because of its curved steel-net walls was soon dubbed by locals as the "bird's nest." BIRD'S NEST reveals how Chinese cultural tradition affects both the design of the National Stadium and for a new city district in Jinhua, with the architects carefully researching esthetic and philosophical concepts of Chinese society and culture, attempting to define universal qualities of "beauty" and being careful to avoid imposing Western ideas, and above all to create buildings that will blend in culturally by being sensitive to Chinese cultural traditions and ways of living. In showing the cultural barriers, political pressures, aesthetic concepts, client demands, and budgetary limitations of these major architectural projects - one intended to promote China's international appearance, the other designed to cater to the daily needs of the Chinese people - BIRD'S NEST explores how such international endeavors are helping to develop a "new tradition" in architecture.

Official Site	http://icarusfilms.com/new2008/nest.html
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Last Updated On:	May 21, 2012

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