Epoch Times - Bird's Nest or Bird Trap?

On June 5, 2004, some of China best architects gathered for an academicians' conference. When the Bird's Nest construction was brought up, experts found themselves sharing concerns with its safety issues.

In an interview with local newspaper The Beijing News in August, 2004, Tang Jianhua, the vice deputy chief engineer of Beijing Survey and Design Institute, explained that the Bird's Nest was too heavy to be safe. He said each of the 24 piers supporting the gigantic steel structure exerts an average pressure of 40,000 - 50,000 metric tons per square meter to the foundation. Also, the Bird's Nest sits on a ground rich in underground water with fluctuating depth. Given Beijing's inadequate float-resisting measures, Tang doubted the foundation could survive the pressure once leakage occurs.