The Chinese government has launched a building (and demolition) frenzy the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the Works Progress Administration was launched by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935.  One of the most interesting of the 300 new buildings that are going to be built in Peking’s business district is the so-called Falling Towers, a brand new TV center with office-space for 10,000 people and one of the most fascinating designs I’ve ever seen on a building. 

The building, two glass towers connected by an overhanging area on which television will be screened, is just insane.  I can only imagine how dizzying it must be to stare directly overhead at, say, Olympic games sports coverage or your favorite Chinese soap opera.  Despite looking like it might fall over at any time, the $900 million dollar building is actually built to withstand an 8.0 earthquake, despite being made mostly of steel and glass. 

In a bonus series of images, Dark Roasted Blend also passes along some shots of future potential Chinese Olympians and the painful-looking stretching exercises that these seriously young (like elementary school aged) gymnasts do.  Just looking at those poses makes my hamstrings twinge in sympathy pain!  Ouch!

Tags: buildings, skyscrapers, china, falling towers, architecture, unusual, images, construction

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