CHINA: Beijing's new, modern architecture gives it a new look ahead of the 2008 Olympics

Beijing is getting a facelift. Soviet style blocks are a thing of the past and the age of twisted donuts, alien eggs, bird's nests and water cubes is here. The new, geometric shapes tower over their squat neighbors and the low traditional courtyard houses. Like them or loathe them, Beijing's new buildings are sending a message to its Olympic visitors and its inhabitants, this is a brave new Beijing. These cutting edge designs all have one thing in common, they were all designed overseas. The CCTV building, affectionately known as the twisted donut, designed by the Dutch Office of Modern Architecture, will be the headquarters for the state's national broadcaster CCTV. The twisted donut's chief architect Ole Scheeren believes that the foreign designs enhance Beijing's metropolitan image. The Dutch Office of Modern Architecture has won numerous prizes for its designs, amongst which are the Prada superstore in Manhattan, New York and two Guggenheim museums in Las Vegas. This is their first skyscraper, but as Scheeren is keen to point out, they have steered clear of the competition for tallest building. That competition is bound for failure, he argues, since there will always be a newer, taller skyscraper. Instead, they have created what they claim to be the world's second biggest building after the Pentagon. The building is unique in its design, its frame, and sole means of support, is a steel mesh wound around the building in an irregular diamond pattern, which is then rooted into the foundations. "This loop folded in space as we describe it, a loop of a building that is angular yet continuous and assembles all aspects of television making in one single structure," said Scheeren. The cantilever, stretching out over a garden beneath will become a glass floored public walkway, offering tourists an unimpeded and slightly nerve wracking view of Beijing. It joins the Swiss designed Birds Nest Stadium and the French designed National Theatre in part of the Olympic drive to revamp Beijing. The Birds Nest Stadium will hold the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies, athletics and soccer. It has become one of Beijing's iconic buildings, the interior became a closely guarded secret in the last stages of construction. Officials say they want to keep the stadium a surprise until next August. Beijing's National Aquatics Centre, or the water cube, was dreamt up by the Australian firm PTW Architects. The building, based around the structure of water bubbles began construction in 2003 and sits beside the birds nest. Public reception of the new foreign structures has been mixed, especially since many old buildings have been demolished to make way for their construction. Ole Scheeren believes that the foreign additions to the city send a positive signal and a stage in Beijing's history. "An issue of preservation and an issue of cultural identity or continuity should really not be looked at only in this gap between old and new but really to look at history as a much more continuous process of multiple stages and realities that emerge in the development of the city and where each one of those constitutes a valid part of its actual identity," he said. The National Theatre cost 325 million U.S. dollars to build and the state broadcaster CCTV won't reveal total costs but media speculate the price tag is close to one billion U.S. dollars. Gao Yuntian, a project manager on the National Theatre site, believes that initial public objections to the designs were only natural. "I think that at the moment there are a few people who cannot accept this style in this location. But, in ten years time it will the same as the Great Hall of the People, give it ten or twenty years and it will have become an inseparable part of the city," said Gao. Alongside those who object to the changes are many who believe that Beijing must demonstrate its prosperity and modernity for the Olympics next year. One Beijing local, Zhang Xuzhou, says she believes that these buildings are exactly the image Beijing should be cultivating. "Our country is now required to do this and its for this reason, not because of money. I am very happy, we should be amongst the world's top cities. We are hosting the Olympics next year so this should be happening," she said. The final big player in the foreign five has not attracted a nickname but is just as famous as its counterparts. Terminal 3 is Beijing's new Olympic capacity airport terminal at the city's international airport. It was designed by British architect Norman Foster and has cost 3.6 billion U.S. dollars to construct. The state of the art building will be the first and last sight of Beijing for next years Olympic crowds.

ITN Source | November 26, 2007

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