Koolhaas TVCC Tower: "Fire engulfs landmark of skyline in Beijing"

“A fierce fire engulfed a major new building in Beijing that houses a luxury hotel and cultural center Monday, the last day of celebrations for the lunar new year when the city was alight with fireworks.

The building was designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and is part of China Central Television’s new headquarters, an angular wonder of modernist architecture that was built to coincide with the Beijing Olympics last year.

The fire was burning from the ground floor to the top floor, the flames reflecting in the glass facade of the main CCTV tower next to the hotel and cultural center.

The 241-room Mandarin Oriental hotel in the building was due to open this year.

Flames were spotted around 9:30 p.m., and within 20 minutes the fire had spread throughout the building.”

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(Source: Nicolas Marier (articles) and Boris Anthony (photos))