The Time’s architect critic Tom Dyckhoff visited Beijing to review the new stadiums. He seemed to say good things about the Birds Nest stadium and the new swimming center but had a lot of criticism for the other stadiums and the Olympic forest.

Because the “bird’s nest” might be the ultimate in architectural eye candy, but its neighbours are not. Architecturally at least, the Beijing Olympics are a flop.

Tom Dyckhoff on the basketball stadium:

OK, it’s not bad. Does the same trick as the “water cube”, only the Beijing Architecture Research Institute’s version is slightly better executed. The interior is more refined, and better integrated with the box’s show-off façade, an abstract box of gold-coloured steel slats which from afar look like bamboo, but, perforated, seep in light during the day and glow alluringly at night.

On the shooting range hall:

Another dead ringer for a provincial multiplex, by Zhuang Weimin, with one show-off party trick, a massive shell-shaped cantilever. Weimin has described the design as “simple and natural”. We call it boring as hell.

And on the tennis center:

This, by China Construction Design International, is meant to resemble a cute, 12-petalled flower unfurling in the sun. Instead it looks like the jaws of a giant alien robot bursting from the earth ready to gobble the universe.

I have to agree with him on this one. The design of the center is not only very practical it doesn’t look the best and I really wonder if it will be around after the Olympics.