Defying Gravity - OMA's CCTV Building in Beijing

Defying Gravity - OMA's CCTV Building in Beijing

by Victoria Shingleton

photographed by Iwan Baan, ArchDaily

OMA's CCTV Building in Beijing, designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren, stands out in the skyline not only because of its massive size, but unique shape.  It looks as if it is a cube with the top and bottom corners cut out of it so that the top floors of the building are floating high above the ground as result of a 75-meter cantilever.

photographed by Iwan Baan, ArchDaily

I wanted to learn more about how the form was created through paper cuttings, so I began by drawing the elevation of each facade of the building and deciding how to erect it.  I knew that each side of the structure would be dependent on the other - that both sides must meet in the center in order to stand.

Because the cantilevered portion of the building must me lifted from the ground, I folded it up with the vertical portion of the building on each side.  I chose to fold the bottom horizontal pieces up directly from the ground, though I could have folded them up with the vertical piece, then folding them around to connect with one another.

The structure not only creates a unique space through mass, but also with void.  The way that the building is formed allows the sun to streak through the center, creating a break in they skyline which is unique for such a large structure.