The National Stadium Beijing, the symbol of the 2008 Beijing Olympics known as the ‘Bird’s Nest’, is the winner of the Royal Institute of Architecture’s prestigious Lubetkin Prize for 2009. The Stadium was designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron. Chinese artist and architectural designer Ai Weiwei acted as artistic consultant on the project, but ultimately distanced himself in protest of Chinese government policies surrounding the staging of the Games, and was absent from the opening ceremonies.
RIBA
http://www.architecture.com/
Herzog & de Meuron
http://hdm.walkerart.org/
Ai Weiwei
http://www.aiweiwei.com/