bricworks3 the watercube post-olympics ai weiwei - ARCHILEPSY ...

The oblong void symbolically
embraces the city.
development-years), it remains a
singular icon in the emerging Beijing
skyline today, in large part due to
its manifestly foreign presence in
an otherwise non-descript and
relatively uninspiring urban context.
As Scheeren states, “It comes across
sometimes as big and sometimes
as small, and from some angles it is
strong and from others weak.” This
multiplicitous identity is decidedly
progressive, and will likely serve as a
savvy designers
constant reminder of how “normal” the
surrounding skyscrapers are for years
to come.
If the figural strangeness wasn’t
enough, the CCTV building also
wears its heart on its sleeve, structurally
speaking. OMA collaborated with
Arup on the structural engineering,
which is characterized by a complex
irregular grid of cross-bracing on
the façade. The elaborate lattice of
diagonal black beams varies in density
across the facade in direct response to
the structural stresses within. Against
this filigree, a precisely detailed greyblue
glass curtain wall reflects the sky
(or smog) and surrounding skyline.
Scheeren states: “I had the fantasy that
the façade would disappear against the
gray sky and you would be left with
only the black grid.”
> Nearing completion in 2009
Without question, OMA’s
TVCC building represents
the clearest and grandest
expression of the oft-repeated “wrap”
motif ever to be executed. At 34 stories
(159m) the China Central Television
Cultural Centre rises from the ground
in a single angular thrust, then slashes
diagonally across the sky to the form
the roof, and finally kinks back to
earth on the other side in a continuous
cascading stroke. From 100 meters, the
building appears as a built diagram, its
simplistic form disrupted only by a few
protruding volumes at ground level.
The 580,000 square meter mixeduse
building houses theaters, recording
studios, news rooms, and restaurants in
its base, while the tower is home to the
five-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel. In
collaboration with Arup, Koolhaas and
Scheeren designed the tower structure
as a reinforced concrete frame with
sheer walls with steel mega-braces.
The exterior “wrap” is sheathed in a
TVCC CULTURAL CENTER > Beijing : China
Architectural
Photography By:
Iwan Baan
corrugated titanium-zinc rain screen
system, which protects the east and
west faces of the building from glare
and solar gain. The north façade of
the tower is articulated as a smooth
seamless tinted curtain wall, while the
south façade features an expressive
pixelated curtain wall that accentuates
the individual hotel rooms. Inside the
tower, like many other grand highrise
hotels in China, the guest rooms
are arranged around an expansive 100
meter high atrium.
Truthfully, this building would
be considered a masterpiece in any
American city. Were it not for its
proximity to the show-stopping
CCTV building, and the unfortunate
events surrounding its construction
(see page 85), the iconic TVCC tower
would be a celebrated achievement
in high-rise design, making most
contemporary US skyscrapers seem
clumsy and mundane in context.
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