CCTV H.Q China

CCTV

Headquarters Building & Cultural Centre, Beijing

Such an unusual structure has never been attempted before

We are providing structural, geotechnical, security, mechanical, electrical and public health engineering services to architect Rem Koolhaas’ and Ole Scheeren's design for the 234m high, 450 000m CCTV headquarters.

The total development is 5 813 000ft² (540 000m²) consisting of two main buildings: the CCTV building and the Television Cultural Centre (TVCC).

The new centre combines administration with news, broadcasting, studios and programme production - the entire TV process - in a sequence of interconnected activities.

This first building is not a traditional tower, but a continuous loop of horizontal and vertical sections that establish an urban site rather than point to the sky. The irregular grid on the building’s facades is an expression of the forces travelling throughout its structure.

It would be a significant structural challenge anywhere in the world, but is especially so as Beijing is in a highly seismic zone. Arup carried out a huge amount of work to demonstrate structural stability in order to satisfy local planning needs.

The second building, the TVCC, includes a hotel, a visitor's centre, a large public theatre, and exhibition spaces. It is visible from the main intersection of the Central Business District through the window of the CCTV headquarters.

A Media Park forms a landscape of public entertainment, outdoor filming areas, and production studios as an extension of the central green axis of the CBD.

Construction of the CCTV Headquarters is now well under way. The site has been excavated, raft foundations laid and the steel work is being installed on site.

A lot of work was done for prescribing criteria for construction, and for monitoring the construction process, with emphasis on measurement of movement. The contractors working methods have to fit within the parameters of the design.

The entire structure and the façade will be completed before the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The CCTV Headquarters will be realized in collaboration with the East China Architecture & Design Institute (ECADI) from Shanghai.