Some 30 years ago, China was just a country having the traits of Africa, with less development, Communism, poverty and all the problems associated with us in Africa.
The determination of the people and good leadership they had, coupled with the zeal to succeed, today China has become he hub of the world, financially, population wise with modern and unique infrastructure.
China’s rise has been unprecedented to the point that they are now challenging world power United States with the biggest banks that are now Chinese banks, highest creditor to US, and world’s largest market.
When we talk of infrastructure, one would not believe that China has wonderful and powerful buildings that can compete with others all around the world, there are few wonders in China I would like to introduce to Sierra Leoneans to understand how powerful the richest Socio Communist state has become.
I would like to start with the Diaphanous Theaters of buildings heated and cooled by water. This building is more than sucking up the world’s supply of steel; it’s creating a stage for some of today’s boldest architecture and engineering.
Secondly I want to bring The Commune built in Beijing. The first phase was completed 2002 and the expansion will be completed next year.
Even if the Commune didn’t sit beside that wonder of the ancient world, the Great Wall of China, it would still qualify as a wonder. The complex includes houses by 12 of Asia’s leading architects. It was conceived by married real-estate developers Zhang Xin and Pan Shiyi, who gave each architect a $1 million budget.
Shigeru Ban, the Japanese architect most famous for the paper houses he designed for refugees of the Kobe earthquake, designed the Furniture House, featuring the laminated plywood typically used for modular furniture, and China’s Yung Ho Chang created the Split House, which takes the idea of a boxy dwelling, slices it in half, and spreads it out like a fan.
The Commune is now operated as a boutique hotel by the Germany luxury hotel group Kempinski, which is responsible for an upcoming expansion, which will feature 21 homes including replications of the originals. One element will remain untouched in the new development: the Commune’s private pedestrian trails, which trace untouched sections of the Great Wall.
Thirdly I want to talk about the world’s biggest airport that was completed in 2007 for last year’s Olympics; The Beijing International Airport.
the Beijing International Airport, designed by Foster & Partners, started operation end of 2007 in time for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the airport terminal will cover more than 1 million square meters, giving it a bigger footprint than the Pentagon.
It’s designed to handle 43 million passengers a year initially and 55 million by 2015, figures that will probably push the new facility into the ranks of the top 10 busiest airports, going by the 2004 numbers from the Airports Council International. Given the scale and traffic, Foster & Partners focused on the traveler’s experience, making sure that walking distances are short, for instance.
To help passengers distinguish between different sections of the vast space, skylights cast different shades of yellow and red light across walls; a subtle but innovative navigational aid. The architects also kept sustainability in mind: An environmental-control system reduces carbon emissions, and skylights situated on a south-east axis lessen solar heat, keeping the building cool.Now I want to take you all to the city that never sleeps, Shanghai. The world Financial Center completed in 2008 under Kohn Pederson Fox Architects is built in the financial district of Pudong.
The elegant 101-story skyscraper is be the world’s tallest building for the time being. One of the biggest challenges of building tall is creating a structure that can withstand high winds. The architects devised an innovation solution to alleviate wind pressure by adding a rectangular cut-out at the building’s apex.
Not only does the open area help reduce the building’s sway but it also will be home to the world’s highest outdoor observation deck; a 100th-floor vista that will take vertigo to new heights.
By Austin Thomas