STADIUM WAVES A BANNER FOR SPORT

The award-winning Guangdong Olympic Stadium is the newest blossom in China's "Flower City." The 80,000-seat venue was designed as an icon to relate sport to the physical environment and to the history of the 2000-year-old city of Guangzhou. The stadium bowl grows out of the ground to a sculpted petal-like upper edge, and floating above the bowl is an undulating roof. Next week Brian Libby will describe the stadium and the remarkable roof, which resembles a finish-line ribbon broken by a victorious runner and which holds the Olympic flame suspended between its two halves.

RECONNECTING WITH DAYLIT BUILDINGS

Throughout architectural history, daylight has been critical in determining building form. But with the introduction of modern sources of electric light, its importance appeared to diminish. In some "modern" buildings it was banished altogether. Now that the positive advantages of daylight are regaining appreciation, it's time to look back through design history to see how daylight can influence form. British author and lighting designer Derek Phillips will be our guide.

NEW DEMANDS ON HOSPITAL STRUCTURES

Healthcare providers in the United States are under tremendous pressure to lower costs and increase convenience. At the same time, the seismic and other structural requirements of their facilities are becoming more stringent. A new regulation in California calls for future hospitals to be able to continue operation after a 8.0 (Richter scale) earthquake. Next week, architects Richard Kobus, Michael Bobrow, and Julia Thomas will discuss the new structural challenges of, and solutions for, hospital design.