Beijing 2008 Olympic & Paralympic Summer Games

Beijing was the Games of records and superlatives. The Opening Ceremony was unforgettable; the athletes’ achievements were astonishing, the organisation was excellent; and the venues, breathtaking. Several hundred million watched worldwide on television as more than 40 world records and over 130 Olympic records were broken with a record 204 National Olympic Committees taking part.

Year

2008
Client

Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Committee and National Stadium Company
Disciplines
Collections
- Olympic Games Venues

Populous began work on the Beijing Games many years prior to the flame being lit when we were invited by the government of the People’s Republic of China to bring our many decades of Olympics experience to assist Beijing in its preparation for its 2008 Olympic Bid.

This initial work included a strategic review of all venue development, followed by our appointment to the master plan design review team and then conducting benchmarking studies for each of the major facilities. This important preparatory work set both the Olympic and the Overlay standards for all the venues and formed the basis of the briefing material for all the venue tenders.

Following this initial planning work, Populous was appointed in 2004 as the sports architecture advisor for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games National Stadium. We provided sports specialist architectural advice and reviews to the consortium financing, constructing and operating the USD$400 million stadium, the National Stadium Company, to ensure the design met world’s best practice.

Explore More Projects

Ahmedabad, India TBC Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave
香港九龙 March 2025 启德体育园 (Kai Tak Sports Park)
San Francisco, United States 2023 The Crossing at East Cut
Seoul, South Korea TBC Jamsil Sports MICE Complex
Milwaukee, United States 2018 Fiserv Forum
El Paso, United States 2014 Southwest University Park
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2017 KL Sports City
Nashville, United States 2015 First Tennessee Park
San Diego, United States 2004 PETCO Park
Nanjing, China 2005 Nanjing Sports Park