New guidelines on urban planning will forbid the construction of “bizarre” and “odd-shaped” buildings that are devoid of character or cultural heritage. In our new series, On the Block, we gather opinions on some of the unusual architecture that remains, from both an architectural and civilian viewpoint.
The Building
The formidable-looking PetroChina Headquarters looms over the Second Ring Road. Designed by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design and completed in 2006, the structure is a symbol of the city’s new economy.
The energy-efficient building uses an automated lighting control system, which adjusts light in accordance with natural sunlight, and mirror-coated blinds that move with the sun’s rays.
It looks like it’s straight out of a dystopian film, especially on a gray Beijing day. It’s so enormous we often gauge the pollution level on whether or not the building’s outline is visible through the smog from That’s Beijing offices.
The Residents’ View
A nearby sweet-potato seller, 55, praises the building for its “beautiful, strong and great” appearance while a security guard, 30, similarly describes it as “very good looking.” Hmm… perhaps we are too jaded?
The Architect’s View
Co-founding partner of Beijing-based architecture and urban design reMIX studio, Nicola Saladino, says: “At 200,000sqm, it is a gigantic construction and it would easily look out of scale if it weren’t for the Ring Road itself already being way beyond human dimensions.
“The volume, with an abstract facade of vertical louvers that change permeability according to different angles of observation, clearly relates more to the dynamic vehicular perspective than to the pedestrian traffic around it.
“The building is a celebration of power: Its huge entrance hall certainly awes its visitors. But at the same time, the architecture gives up having any impact on its surroundings, not engaging at all with the public space. I think this is a missed opportunity as a more articulated intervention of such a scale could easily change a neighborhood for the better.”
For more On the Block, click here.
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