Demolition Work Commences on Charred TVCC Tower

Although it was reported nearly a year ago that reconstruction of the Television Cultural Center [TVCC Tower], located next to CCTV’s “Big Pants” building near Guomao, was imminent, it’s only in recent weeks that building activity around the charred structure has been evident. Yesterday the Global Times reported, “the unsalvageable part of CCTV’s edifice started to be demolished today, and will be rehabilitated based on the original design.”

As many Beijingers will remember, the tower spectacularly went up in flames at the end of Chinese New Year in February 2009, when CCTV’s own illegal fireworks display set the building ablaze and lead to RMB 163.83 million in “direct economic losses” according to China Daily. A fireman also died fighting the fire. In a punishment that must have sent shivers down the spines of senior officials everywhere, the head of the broadcaster at the time of the blaze, Zhao Huayong, was given an “administrative demotion along with a severe warning.” Twenty of his underlings later received jail sentences.

There were reports earlier this year that the building’s structural integrity had been compromised by the blaze, but OMA, the firm of the building’s architect Ole Scheeren said in a statement to the Beijinger in February, “The preliminary findings are that the building can be repaired… It's still intact and safe. There will mainly be a repair effort, but not a complete rebuilding.”

OMA Beijing also pointed that the TVCC Tower “is a concrete structure,” contrary to claims in a Global Times article in January that the structure is steel. Yesterday’s Global Times article stated, “The demolition will only remove the building's steel structure and the decoration damaged by the fire.” Presumably this will leave the building’s concrete core in tact.

A crane is now in place beside the charred TVCC tower, and large numbers of builders appear to now be working on the site.