Although Dubai appears to be the focal point of global construction at the moment, there appears to be a lack of attention on China’s construction boom that has been fuelled by its burgeoning economy and the upcoming summer Olympic games taking place in its capital Beijing.
This week would be our Chinese Construction week as we attempt to cover some of China’s most impressive structures (both completed & under construction) and some of China’s most creative architects that are now beginning to rise to global prominence.
Although construction work on Hangzhou Bay Bridge was completed in June 2007, it is currently undergoing tests and evaluation and would not be open to traffic till August 2008, in time for the Beijing Olympics.
The 36 km S-shaped cable stayed bridge has six lanes in both directions and is currently the world’s longest trans-oceanic bridge. It cuts the length of the road trip between Shanghai & Ningbo (a busy port in Zhejiang) by 120 km.
Construction photos
Continue reading ‘Hangzhou Bay Bridge, the World’s Longest Trans-Oceanic Structure’
The National Center for the Performing Arts was completed recently in Beijing, China. Designed by architect Paul Andreu, the first concert was held there December 2007.
The exterior of the theater is a titanium accented glass dome that is completely surrounded by a man-made lake. It is said to look like an egg floating on water. It was designed as an iconic feature, something that would be immediately recognizable, like the Sydney Opera House.
Continue reading ‘The National Grand Theater Beijing, China’
The National Aquatics Centre in Beijing, China - known as “The Water Cube” - for obvious reasons, is now complete. The Water Cube will feature aquatic events for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The building’s structural design, which is based on the natural formation of soap bubbles to give a random, organic appearance, used research undertaken by Weaire and Phelan (professors of physics) into how soap bubbles might be arranged in an infinite array.
To bring the design to life, the individual bubbles were incorporated into a plastic film and tailored like a sewing pattern. An entire section is pieced together and then put into place within the structure. There are interior and exterior films, and the film was then inflated in-situ.
Arup is the consultancy company that designed the project.
Photos of the exterior during construction:
Continue reading ‘Watercube in Beijing 2008′
China Central Television’s (CCTV) HQ will be completed to broadcast the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
The project began in March 2003 following a review of the design by a panel of Chinese experts. It is being constructed next to the 3rd Ring Road in Beijing, China, on a 10 ha site in the new Central Business District.
The development is being 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.
The new building will involve two ‘L’ shaped high-rise towers linked at the top and the bottom at an angle to form a loop, which has been described as a ‘Z’ criss-cross.
The total construction cost is estimated at €600 million. The CCTV tower will employ 10,000 people following completion in 2008.
Continue reading ‘CCTV Tower Beijing’
Sustainable development is slowly becoming an important factor in the property development world, and whether we are prepared to accept it or not, sooner or later, one of the determining factors of whether a project goes forward or not will be the issue of sustainability.
The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction promotes sustainable responses to the technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues affecting building and construction.
Activities including Holcim Awards competitions, Holcim Forum symposiums, seed funding for building initiatives and grants for research projects encourage innovative approaches to sustainable construction.
Continue reading ‘Chongming Island’
