CCTV television headquarters, Rem Koolhaas.
New York Times, In Changing Face of Beijing, a Look at the New China:
“(…) Mr. Koolhaas has set out to express the elasticity of the new global culture, and in the process explore ways architecture can bridge the gap between the intimate scale of the individual life and the whirling tide of mass society. The image of authority he conveys is pointedly ambiguous. Imposing at one moment, shy and retiring the next, the building’s unstable forms say as much about collective anxieties as they do about centralized power.
He has carved out ample space for places of social exchange. The interior of the building is conceived as an endless loop of public activities, with cafes, viewing decks and galleries extending up through one leg of the structure and back down through the other, where it connects to an underground subway.
The architect sees the dividing line between public and private spheres as an active battleground, one that is constantly shifting and readjusting as society’s norms change and evolve. For now, however, it is not the architect who will determine the degree of openness at CCTV but the company’s government-appointed board of directors.”
Bijbehorende interactieve kaart met commentaar: Architectural Monuments in a Reshaped Beijing.
