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New CCTV centre to be constructed
Construction of the controversial US$600 million CCTV, which had been halted for nearly one and half a years, will go ahead beginning September 21 despite macro-economic tightening that has resulted in officials axing plans for five proposed sports venues in the Chinese capital.
The site finally chosen to be the new home of China Central Television (CCTV) is located at a busy commercial area near the World Trade Centre in Beijing's Central Business District (CBD)and will cover an area of 187,000 square metres, according to Chen Gang, head of the city's Chaoyang District. Construction of the tower designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhas had been scheduled to begin in March last year, but was held up for reasons not disclosed to the public. A formal ceremony celebrating the laying of the tower's foundation stone, originally scheduled for September 1, 2003, was cancelled. Fears of traffic congestion around the 230-metre-tall structure, to comprise two inverted L-shaped towers joined high above the ground, were considered as a main reason for the delay. Many people, including several renowned academicians, said the project would worsen the traffic situation in CBD which is already crammed with high-rises and highways look like huge parking lots during peak traffic hours. However, Chen justified the plan saying that based on the average density of CBD, the area surrounding the proposed new television building can host 50,000 employees. But the number of working staff at the new site will be only 10,000 and the floor space as designed will be 550,000 square metres, said Chen. Traffic Further more, due to CCTV operating 24 hours a day, any additional traffic will be distributed evenly throughout a given day, and will not impose a new burden during rushhour, Chen emphasized. Sources at CCTV said the central government's efforts to curb overzealous investment is probably another main reason for the construction delay. In recent weeks, Beijing has begun talking about a "frugal Games" and leaders have been acting to tighten purse strings.
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