Beijing 2008

Beijing is undergoing beauty treatment after decades of chaotic urban renovation. To this end, major construction sites have been entrusted to eminent international architects. The ambition and quality of these projects far exceed everything done in China recently.

1. Terminal 3 - Beijing Airport - Foster + Partners
After four years of works, the third terminal of the international airport, soon to be inaugurated, offers a skilful blend of high technology and local architecture. The roof echoes the shape and colours of the dragon, the symbol of China. Spanning some 98 hectares, the new structure can boast one of the largest terminals in the world which is also ecological, in particular in terms of energy performance.

2. Beijing Opera - Paul Andreu
The building, which covers 150,000 m˛, is designed as a “city of theatres.” The titanium of his shell protects and covers, shelters public space and creates more discrete areas of shadows. The glass opens the building up like a curtain that is pulled aside to reveal the different concert halls.

3. National stadium - Herzog & de Meuron / China Architecture Design & Research Group
Designed to accommodate 100,000 spectators, the Beijing stadium has been inspired directly from the intertwined twigs of a bird’s nest. Apart from the aesthetic value of this intertwining, the crossing metal elements provide mutual structural support and give the impression of a spontaneous layout. A green roof covers the 25,000 m˛ of terraces.

4. CCTV - Rem Koolhaas
The most avant-garde tower in Beijing is the future central television headquarters, currently under construction -- a real architectural challenge, given the complexity of the structure. The two main parts of this distorted arch are now connected, but completion is scheduled for 2009. At that time, the 234-metre complex will constitute the world’s largest media centre.

5. National swimming centre - PTW
Christened the water cub, this building with its organic and translucent architecture features a façade of air cushions that look like enormous floating soap bubbles. More than 100,000 m˛ of ETFE translucent polymer sheets have been deployed on a metal structure to form the walls: a world record, a technological feat and an investment of US$ 200 million.

6. History Museum of the City of Beijing - Jean-Marie Duthilleul
This project is intended as one of the city’s major public facilities. With a total area of 60 000 m˛, protected by a rectangular horizontal roof, the museum echoes the cultural heritage of Beijing while expressing an openness to modernity. The classical attributes of the built Chinese space are re-expressed in a contemporary vocabulary, with a balance struck between sequencing and freedom of composition, between intimacy and monumentality.