The design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof; giving the stadium the appearance of a bird’s nest. Leading Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was the artistic consultant on the project.
The retractable roof was later removed from the design after inspiring the stadium’s most recognizable aspect. Ground was broken on 24 December 2003 and the stadium officially opened on 28 June 2008. The design was awarded to a submission from the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Murom in April 2003.
The stadium’s design originally called for a capacity of 100,000 people; however 9,000 were removed during a simplification of the design. The new total of 91,000 would be shaved further when 11,000 temporary seats were removed after the 2008 Olympic; bringing the stadium’s capacity to 80,000. The farthest seat is 460 feet from center field. Temperature and airflow of every surface were optimized to increase ventilation.
On the first anniversary, 8 August 2009, the stadium hosted a performance of the opera Tura dot, and the 2009 super copper Italian (Italian Super Cup) final, the traditional curtain raiser to the Italian foot ball league season.
On 1 November 2010 the IAAF announced that the 2015 World Championship in Athletic will take place at the Beijing National Stadium.
