The Bird’s Nest

It’s taken 45,000 tons of steel and $460 million to create Beijing’s 2008 Olympic Games’ National Stadium. Designed by Swiss architects Herzog & De Meuron Architekten (designers of London’s Tate Gallery), global engineering firm Arup and the China Architecture Design & Research Group, the 91,000-seat arena, resembling a giant bird’s nest, had to lose its roof to save mounting costs. One of the artists behind the stunning stadium, Chinese national Ai Weiwei, says the Chinese Government is using glitz to cover up its human rights record. He dubbed the creation a "pretend smile."