CCTV Headquarters

Commissioned in 2002, the CCTV Headquarters was designed by architects Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). It was envisioned as a centerpiece for the Beijing Central Business District, representing a radical departure from the traditional skyscraper. The project was part of a massive urban redevelopment ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics, signaling China's entry onto the global architectural stage. The structural design, handled by the engineering firm Arup, is a continuous loop formed by two leaning towers joined at the top and bottom by an L-shaped cantilever. This 'folded' geometry was incredibly complex to engineer, especially considering Beijing is in a high-seismic zone. The building’s facade is wrapped in a web of diagonal steel members that reveal the internal forces of the structure, making the engineering visible to the naked eye. Despite a major fire at the adjacent Television Cultural Center in 2009 that delayed the project, the main headquarters was completed in 2012. It has since won numerous awards, including the 'Best Tall Building Worldwide' from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Locally, it is famously nicknamed 'Da Kucha' or 'Big Underpants' due to its unique shape, becoming one of the most recognizable silhouettes in the world.