Welcome to China Central Television Headquarters
The CCTV Headquarters towers in the Beijing Central Business District with extraordinary appearance. The building is an iconic anti-skyscraper that, along with other masterpiece designs delivered in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has changed the architectural image of China's capital. The main building is not a traditional tower, but a continuous loop of six horizontal and vertical sections covering 381,000 m2 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 has acquired the nickname big shorts.
The building is constructed adjacent to the Third Ring Road in Beijing, China, in the new Central Business District. The project was started in March 2003 following a review of the design by a panel of Chinese experts. The review was necessary since the ground-breaking design was in contravention to the city's existing building codes.
The building was built in two sections that were joined to complete the loop on December 26, 2007. In order not to lock in structural differentials this connection was planned to be completed at the coldest time of night 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.
Being the headquarters of China Central Television, its groundbreaking took place on September 22, 2004 and the building was completed in December 2008. Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren of OMA were the architects for the building, while Arup provided the complex engineering design. It stands at 234 meters tall and has 51 floors. The development was undertaken by the Chinese Government as part of a plan to redevelop central Beijing with innovative and functional architecture, while preserving historic buildings at the same time.
Admission fee: Free
Opening hours: All day