Beijing gets iconic glass media building

16:08:20 7th August 2008

With the Olympic Games set to begin, the glass façade of TV station CCTV's headquarters in Beijing has been completed.

The iconic design is sure to draw its fair share of attention from glass and building design fans the world over.

Its unique look consists of two sloping 'legs' connected by an L-shaped connecting section, which protrudes 75 meters horizontally from the top of each leg.

In tune with the station's hierarchy, researchers and broadcasters will fill the lower floors, while management will occupy the suspended L-shaped part of the building.

Enjoying views over the city, that part of the building will also contain an observation deck and a public media museum.

The building was built by OMA and partner Ole Scheeren expressed his hopes that the building would be seen as a symbol of China's transformation in recent times.

"As the building now stands visibly in the city, it has added the three-dimensional figure of a loop to Beijing's skyline of towers," he said.

"We are hopeful to see the building emerge as a symbol of collaboration and change."

The Olympics Games are due to begin in Beijing this week and have drawn the attention of the world to the eastern nation.

The glass façade of the media building will no-doubt be seen as a metaphor for openness, after years of accusations of media censorship by the Chinese government.