The Beijing Digital Building, also known as the National Olympic Center, was constructed in the central area of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
The Beijing Digital Building was built in the Olympic central area, similar to other iconic Olympic structures, and its appearance embodies the latest aesthetic sensibilities of that time.
This building integrates the most advanced electronic, information, and communication technologies into a cohesive whole, symbolizing the digital age we live in and representing the enthusiasm and expectations of the Chinese people towards science and technology.
The Beijing Digital Building has 2 underground levels and 11 above-ground floors, with a construction site area of 16,000 square meters and a total construction area of 96,518 square meters. It is one of 60 key projects in Beijing. It was built to provide technical support and services for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
The Beijing Digital Building resembles a chip embedded in an integrated circuit board and serves as an information source for the entire Beijing Olympic Park area.
At the Olympic Center, the stadiums host events and are the focal points of specific historical moments, while the Beijing Digital Building takes on the mission of capturing and disseminating those moments. It serves as a facility for processing and transmitting Olympic information to the public.
The Beijing Digital Building is located in Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. This 57-meter tall geometric structure was built as a data center for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Since then, it has been used as a museum dedicated to computing during the Olympics and as an exhibition space for digital technology companies.
The Beijing Digital Building has four main functions: a central data center, office areas, a virtual digital museum, and a business hall.
Architect Pei Zhu is the designer of this unique building. He is interested in the relationship between traditional Chinese design and digital technology. Thus, Zhu created a structure that resembles a circuit board when viewed from the sides and a barcode when viewed from the ends.
Digital Beijing is situated in the Olympic Green neighborhood, 10 kilometers north of the Forbidden City along the city’s central axis.
After Beijing was awarded the right to host the 2008 Summer Olympics in 2001, planning for the Games began, and the Olympic Green area in Chaoyang District was designated for the construction of the Olympic Village and several event venues. In early 2002, the Beijing City Information Office organized a design competition for a “landmark building” to serve as the main data center for the Olympics, and Pei Zhu’s design was selected.
This is the only large facility among 31 buildings designed by a Chinese architect. It is also the only building in Olympic Green that is not a venue for Olympic events.
