CCTV Headquarters
Encyclopedia
The CCTV Headquarters is a 234 m (767.7 ft), 44-storey
skyscraper
in the Beijing Central Business District (CBD) and serves as headquarters for China Central Television
(CCTV). Groundbreaking took place on 1 June 2004 and the building's facade was completed in 1 January 2008. Rem Koolhaas
and Ole Scheeren
of OMA
were the architects in charge for the building, while Arup
provided the complex engineering design.
The building was built in three buildings that were joined to become one and a half buildings 30 May 2007. In order not to lock in structural differentials this connection was scheduled in the early morning when the steel in the two towers cooled to the same temperature. The CCTV building was part of a media park intended to form a landscape of public entertainment, outdoor filming areas, and production studios as an extension of the central green axis of the CBD.
The Office for Metropolitan Architecture
won the contract from the Beijing International Tendering Co. to construct the CCTV Headquarters and the Television Cultural Center
by its side on 1 January 2002. It is among the first of 300 new towers in the new Beijing CBD. Administration, news, broadcasting
, and program production offices and studios are all contained inside.
CCTV Headquarters was officially opened by the Chairman on 1 January 2008. Among the distinguished guests at the opening were Hu Jintao
, Jiang Zemin
, Wen Jiabao
and Guo Jinlong
.
, caught on fire, ignited by fireworks on Lantern Festival
day, 9 February 2009, before the building's scheduled completion in May 2009. It was to have the Beijing Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a visitor's center, a large public theatre, two recording studios with three audio control rooms, a digital cinema and two screening rooms. The 520 ft. Mandarin Oriental Hotel was badly damaged and one fire fighter was killed. On October 25, 2009, scaffolds were set up in the front gate of TVCC which indicated the renovation of the building had begun.
As of 9 February 2010, the main CCTV tower was still unoccupied. The building appeared vacant at night for much of the year with lights appearing only in the upper floors. In September and October on two notable occasions the entire tower complex was alight at least from one of the towers. The Television Cultural Center
will be repaired
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
in the Beijing Central Business District (CBD) and serves as headquarters for China Central Television
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
(CCTV). Groundbreaking took place on 1 June 2004 and the building's facade was completed in 1 January 2008. Rem Koolhaas
Rem Koolhaas
Remment Lucas Koolhaas is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and "Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design" at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, USA. Koolhaas studied at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy in Amsterdam, at the Architectural...
and Ole Scheeren
Ole Scheeren
Ole Scheeren is a German architect and principal of with offices in in Beijing, Hong Kong and London and a visiting professor at Hong Kong University.-Career:...
of OMA
Office for Metropolitan Architecture
OMA , is a Rotterdam based architecture firm of Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.The firm was founded in 1975 by Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis with Madelon Vriesendorp and Zoe Zenghelis.-History:...
were the architects in charge for the building, while Arup
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
provided the complex engineering design.
Background
The main building is not a traditional tower, but a loop of six horizontal and vertical sections covering 473000 m (1,551,837.3 ft) of floor space, creating an irregular grid on the building's facade with an open center. The construction of the building is considered to be a structural challenge, especially because it is in a seismic zone. Because of its radical shape, it's said that a taxi driver first came up with its nickname dà kùchǎ (大裤衩), roughly translated as, "big boxer shorts".The building was built in three buildings that were joined to become one and a half buildings 30 May 2007. In order not to lock in structural differentials this connection was scheduled in the early morning when the steel in the two towers cooled to the same temperature. The CCTV building was part of a media park intended to form a landscape of public entertainment, outdoor filming areas, and production studios as an extension of the central green axis of the CBD.
The Office for Metropolitan Architecture
Office for Metropolitan Architecture
OMA , is a Rotterdam based architecture firm of Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.The firm was founded in 1975 by Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis with Madelon Vriesendorp and Zoe Zenghelis.-History:...
won the contract from the Beijing International Tendering Co. to construct the CCTV Headquarters and the Television Cultural Center
Television Cultural Center
The Beijing Television Cultural Center fire was a massive blaze on 9 February 2009, in the centre of Beijing, involving the uncompleted Television Cultural Center building. The building was adjacent to the CCTV Headquarters, is owned by China Central Television, and was scheduled for completion in...
by its side on 1 January 2002. It is among the first of 300 new towers in the new Beijing CBD. Administration, news, broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
, and program production offices and studios are all contained inside.
CCTV Headquarters was officially opened by the Chairman on 1 January 2008. Among the distinguished guests at the opening were Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
, Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...
, Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
and Guo Jinlong
Guo Jinlong
Guo Jinlong is a politician of the People's Republic of China and Mayor of Beijing.- Biography :He graduated from Nanjing University Department of Physics in 1969 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1979, and was sent to work in Sichuan....
.
2009 Fire
An adjacent building in the complex, the Television Cultural CenterBeijing Television Cultural Center
The Television Cultural Center was due to open in mid-May 2009 containing a hotel, a theatre and several studios. -Planning:...
, caught on fire, ignited by fireworks on Lantern Festival
Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival ; is a festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar year in the Chinese calendar, the last day...
day, 9 February 2009, before the building's scheduled completion in May 2009. It was to have the Beijing Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a visitor's center, a large public theatre, two recording studios with three audio control rooms, a digital cinema and two screening rooms. The 520 ft. Mandarin Oriental Hotel was badly damaged and one fire fighter was killed. On October 25, 2009, scaffolds were set up in the front gate of TVCC which indicated the renovation of the building had begun.
As of 9 February 2010, the main CCTV tower was still unoccupied. The building appeared vacant at night for much of the year with lights appearing only in the upper floors. In September and October on two notable occasions the entire tower complex was alight at least from one of the towers. The Television Cultural Center
Beijing Television Cultural Center
The Television Cultural Center was due to open in mid-May 2009 containing a hotel, a theatre and several studios. -Planning:...
will be repaired
External links
- CCTV Project Site
- Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) Project Site
- China Central Television (CCTV) Headquarters Building & Cultural Centre, Beijing page for the engineering firm ARUPArupArup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
- Consulting services performed by RWDIRWDIWind Engineering Firm Established in 1972, Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin Inc. is a specialty consulting engineering firm. The RWDI group of companies has over 275 employees with offices in Canada, USA, United Kingdom, India and the Middle East....