Page 22 - Sphere No.22 (Aug 2008)

20 SPHERE
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
THE DETERMINATION of China to be viewed as
a modern, forward-looking nation is reflected in
the radically experimental design of the two main
Olympic Games sporting venues in Beijing.
The national stadium and the aquatics centre are not
just outstandingly inventive sports venues – they are two
of the most imaginative architectural creations anywhere
in the world. By the end of August, the entire television-
viewing world will be familiar with the distinctive shapes
of these iconic structures.
The national stadium was dubbed the Bird’s Nest very
early on in its construction life for its resemblance to...a
bird’s nest.The shell of the building is a series of interlock-
ing steel girders; when viewed from a distance it looks like
a giant spider’s web.
The stadium, designed by Swiss architects Herzog &
de Meuron and built at an estimated cost of USD486
million (HKD3.65 billion), is capable of holding a total
of 91,000 spectators, and will be used for the athletics
Metropolitan Tower was marked by a badminton competi-
tion that aimed to reinforce corporate image and enhance
the relationship with tenants.
Lifestyle
Seb Coe would heartily approve of the Hutchison Group’s
support for sport. Throughout the group, encouragement
and sponsorship is given to in-house sports clubs and other
community-based organisations that encourage people to
swap the sofa for a few hours of vigorous activity.
Employees have the option of participating in a wide vari-
ety of sports such as golf, war games, keep-fit classes and ath-
letics events. The TOM Group, for example, which has offices
in Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai,
has a broad spread of activities during the year that includes
yoga, badminton, football, basketball, tennis and table ten-
nis. “The feedback has been very positive,” said a spokesman.
“These programmes are great fun and really bring people to-
gether and encourage teamwork.”
These programmes are
great fun and really bring
people together