Gravity, what's that?

Needless to say there was a lot of interest in this project and several Architects bid for it; the ultimate winner being Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). The total cost was over $750 Million.

The building when it was completed was, to say the least, spectacular.  Its height was not the show stopper rather its unique design. 

It is perhaps technically incorrect to call it “the building,” because it consists of four elements fused into one.  The “base,” is nine storeys high and from it spring two towers which lean by a slope of six degrees in two directions, and then the spectacular overlay which is 36 storeys in the air!  “Gravity; what is that,” asks this building proudly. 

Its radical shape is said to have earned it the endearing nickname “da`kucha,” which we know without benefit of translation, to mean Big Boxer Shorts!!

Thus the building is by no means a conventional tower rather it is a continuous loop of horizontal and vertical sections.  This gives it a unique urban site look rather than the “spire pointing to the sky” look of usual skyscrapers.

The uniting theme throughout the structure is the irregular grid on all areas of the building’s façade – an expression of the forces traveling through it. The construction was a challenge, more so because the site is in a seismic zone and consequently the builders had to incorporate stringent earthquake safety standards.

Many of the building’s characteristics are a direct result of this. For example, the two towers on their own were found to sway a little in strong winds but the moment they were “linked,” they supported each other and stood tall.

The building consists of the main building, which houses the TV Cultural Centre and some auxiliary facilities. The main building has a total space 380,000 square metres. Of this, the TV station takes up over 60,000 square metres and the rest is home to a hotel, a TV theatre, and an audio studio along with some other facilities.

This structure is said to represent the new image of Beijing, while expressing, in architectural terms, the importance of Television.  The novelty of the design has pushed architectural innovations to hitherto unexplored heights. It helped Chinese architecture turn into a leader from a follower.