The Bird's Nest

Several months after the summer Olympics, people are still talking about them, and not just because of Michael Phelps and all of his gold medals. The opening ceremony and the architecture of the buildings are still worth mentioning. Beijing's National Stadium, more commonly known as the Bird's Nest, was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics. The $423 million dollar stadium is the world's largest steel structure, built by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron. "China wanted to have something new for this very important stadium," said architect Li Xinggang. Li explained, "In China, a bird's nest is very expensive, something you eat on special occasions.” The 2008 Summer Olympics were definitely a special occasion. World records were broken over and over and the building's unique yet familiar design will be remembered as a part of such a historic event. It is one thing to see pictures and watch it on tv, but being there in person, would a whole different experience - the scale of it, the detail, and the massive amounts of steal beams. Beijing set the standard for what the Olympics can look like. China is lucky to have been able to host such a historic event. People will be traveling to Beijing to see where Phelps swam and where the marathons were ran. The birds nest hosted the start and end of an unforgettable summer Olympics.