The new headquarters of China Central Television (CCTV) is a 234m
tall building
with a highly unusual shape, described as a 'three-dimensional cranked loop'. The building is formed by two leaning towers, bent 90° at the top and bottom to form a continuous tube.
The building’s primary support is achieved through the irregular grid on its surface, a visible expression of the forces travelling through the tube structure; the smaller the diagonal pattern, the stronger the load and the greater the support.
The braced tube structure also gives the building the required robustness to withstand the likely seismic activity in the area and therefore provides an extra level of safety.
Project Summary
2
leaning towers bent 90° at the top and bottom to form a continuous tube
15
storey connecting the two buildings cantilevered ‘overhang’
17000
t
- the forace that the largest column carrie under normal loading conditions