Beijing Olympic Tower
The Beijing Olympic Tower (Chinese: 北京奥林匹克塔; pinyin: Běijīng Àolínpǐkè Tǎ) is located on Kehui South Road, part of the Olympic Green in the Chaoyang District of Beijing, China. Construction began in 2011, three years after the 2008 Summer Olympics; it was completed in 2014, and opened on August 8, 2015. It is used strictly for observation; there is no provision for offices or apartments. The design was by a Chinese firm, China Architecture Design & Research Group; a Shenzhen architect alleged that the architects at the firm had plagiarized an award-winning earlier design of his.
| Beijing Olympic Tower | |
|---|---|
北京奥林匹克塔 | |
Tower in January 2020 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Observation tower |
| Address | Kehui South Road, Olympic Green, Chaoyang District |
| Town or city | Beijing |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Coordinates | 40.00651°N 116.38784°E |
| Construction started | 2011 |
| Completed | 2014 |
| Opened | August 8, 2015 |
| Owner | Beijing Municipality |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 258 metres (846 ft) |
| Top floor | 248 metres (814 ft) |
| Observatory | 222 metres (728 ft), 228 metres (748 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Steel, concrete |
| Lifts/elevators | 2 |
| Grounds | 7.5 hectares (19 acres) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Cui Kai, Li Cundong and Zhao Wenbin |
| Architecture firm | China Architecture Design & Research Group |
At 258 metres (846 ft) in height it is the second tallest tower in the city after the Central Radio & TV Tower, and the fourth-tallest structure in the city. Its design, with four smaller circular floors at different heights and positions below a larger top floor, is meant to echo the Olympic rings. The overall design was inspired by blades of grass; however it has also been likened to "huge nails".