The Office for Metropolitan Architecture, led by Rem Koolhaas, signed a contract in late December, 2002, to design an 80-story building as a headquarters for China Central Television in Beijing. Koolhaas won the commission through a competition in August.

The design will be taller than any extant building in Beijing, though several other buildings currently in planning stages would match its height. A second, shorter building will house a hotel and a theater, and will help integrate the structure into the existing neighborhood. The project has a budget of $600 million, and is expected to be complete by 2008, when Beijing hosts the Summer Olympics.

Kevin Lerner

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