奥运给北京树起新地标

With its Herculean pre-Olympics construction push, Beijing has in just a few years transformed itself from a city of drab concrete superstructures to a magnet for innovative and ambitious architecture. Visitors to the Games will, like tourists on safari, want to bag the city's Big Five -- high-profile buildings that already are considered icons of China's new architecture. There is the National Stadium, aka 'the Bird's Nest,' whose design is meant to evoke the cracked glaze on ancient porcelain, and the Water Cube, the ocean-blue Olympic aquatics center with a surface of plastic cushions, like a sheet of bubbles. The CCTV Tower, with its twisted-doughnut profile, has redefined the word 'skyscraper.' The National Center for Performing Arts is like a titanium-clad flying saucer, and there's the vast sweep of Beijing Airport's new Terminal Three.

But several lower-profile works add to Beijing's new aesthetic, including a giant video installation on the side of a restaurant and a hotel clad in metal lattice. Beijing also is constructing, in Chaoyang Park, the world's biggest Ferris wheel.

For centuries, the golden roof and red walls of the emperor's palace and the narrow gray 'hutong' alleyways between courtyard homes defined Beijing. Starting in the 1950s, China's communist rulers remade the downtown, with massive, Stalinist edifices like the Great Hall of the People and acres of prefabricated concrete apartment blocks. Economic opening in the 1980s brought a new building boom, but not much in the way of new taste. Beijing's architects, determined to maintain a Chinese touch, capped new towers with traditional-looking structures that seemed blown there by a tornado.

Since 2001, when Beijing's Olympic bid prevailed, international and local designers have been arriving as if drawn by a magnet. Lately, British engineering firm Arup, which has worked on the construction and design of four of the Big Five, has so many visitors coming through that it hired hosts and printed a city map highlighting 29 of its buildings. Rory McGowan, the head of Arup's Beijing office, which is overseeing construction of the CCTV Tower, says conditions are ripe, from the demand for fast growth to the willingness of urban planners to try new ideas.

And there's Beijing's relatively low costs and its wealth of open spaces, many of them old factory plots.

'The CCTV Tower will never be repeated,' he says.

Today, design is everywhere. 'There's a lot of new money in China now,' says Gregor Hoheisel, an architect at Graft LLC, who created a new hotel overlooking the Forbidden City. 'New money tends to be a bit louder.' Here is a guide to the new must-sees, plus some lesser-known architectural treasures.

NATIONAL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The vast, low-lying space-age oval designed by France's Paul Andreu is covered in titanium and surrounded by a pool of water. The building was met with extraordinary controversy, starting with the entryway. Visitors enter via underground walkway. Wan Siquan, the engineer who oversaw construction, says he became comfortable with this feature only after satisfying himself that the complex could be completely evacuated within minutes. Now, he shows visitors how underground water keeps the pool's temperature stable, preventing algae outbreaks in summer and ice in winter. Critics have complained that a foreigner was chosen to design such a prominent building -- and that it looks like a giant fried egg.

Nevertheless, Chinese and foreign tourists flock to see it. Enter the glass-roofed entrance hallway and see how light filters down through the pond overhead. Inside the center, local wood and marble turns a huge cavern into an intimate space.

CCTV TOWER

The giant state broadcaster's new 'tower' actually is a twisty glass-and-steel doughnut, designed by Rem Koolhaas and his Dutch design firm, in collaboration with the Arup engineers. The facade is set to be completed by the start of the Games; the interior is likely to take many more months.

Two leaning towers rise 540 feet above the ground, then make a sharp turn to meet in a wide overhang -- creating the dizzying sensation that they are defying the usual laws of physics. To stabilize the structure, designers built a giant underground foot, like skis that prevent the skier from leaning too far forward and tipping over. The building overpowers remnants of an older neighborhood. 'A lot of people criticize what urban development means, but it's good that there's a debate,' says Chinese architect Zhu Pei, who urged city officials to invite Mr. Koolhaas and other international architects to join the competition to build the tower.

NATIONAL STADIUM ('THE BIRD'S NEST')

For most Olympic visitors, the site of the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as track-and-field events, will define their memories of Beijing. The stadium earned its nickname for the way the steel-and-cement girders cocoon the 91,000 seats inside. The design grew from brainstorming sessions between the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & deMeuron. The building evokes Chinese culture. Beams crisscrossing seemingly at random are meant to recall the crackled glaze on ancient Chinese ceramics. From the south, the angled bowl resembles the hat-shaped Chinese gold ingots that are a symbol of prosperity. The main support system consists of 24 columns, each weighing 1,000 tons. It took some 7,000 workers three years of 12-hour shifts around the clock to complete the structure. 'The CCTV tower is a triumph of technology,' says Xu Weiguo, an architecture professor at China's Tsinghua University. 'The Bird's Nest is a triumph of thinking.'

TERMINAL THREE

The giant arching sweep of the new terminal at Beijing Capital International Airport, designed by Britain's Norman Foster, is the first thing that will greet most Olympic arrivals. T3 is one of the world's largest enclosed spaces, designed to handle an estimated 50 million visitors a year: It is just over two miles long, with 101 gates, 31 miles of baggage conveyers, 98 moving walkways, 168 escalators and 179 elevators. The arch of the massive roof is punctuated with triangular skylights, which from outside resemble scales of a dragon -- a symbol of prosperity and strength. Deep red pillars evoke the red walls of old imperial Beijing.

WATER CUBE

Designed by Australia's PTW Architects, the National Swimming Center will house many Olympic swimming and diving events. The architects toyed with ideas of a wave-shaped building but then hit on the notion of foam. The walls are made of 3,500 'bubbles,' each one a plastic cushion made from a see-through type of Teflon. The plastic conducts solar energy and also insulates, reducing energy consumption by 30%. Inside, there are five swimming pools, 17,000 seats, aquatic rides and a restaurant.

GREENPIX

In west Beijing, the Italian architect Simone Giostra transformed the side of a seafood restaurant into GreenPix, a multistory video-art installation. By day, solar panels store energy; by night, the energy fuels light displays. For the next few weeks, the wall will feature six specially commissioned video installations curated by Luisa Gui, an Italian producer based in New York. The building is attracting attention for its transformation into art without the use of more energy.

OPPOSITE HOUSE

For years, the Sanlitun neighborhood in east Beijing was a chaotic strip of bars and an open-air market. Now, it has been redeveloped by Hong Kong-based Swire Group with shopping malls, restaurants and a high-end hotel, the Opposite House. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the hotel from outside seems to be wrapped in green glass; on closer inspection, it echoes the geometric pattern on rice-paper windows in old Chinese homes. Inside is an atrium draped with metal mesh and a wall covered in clear plastic cubbyholes -- a modern take on a Chinese medicine chest. Basement restaurants, nearing completion, overlook a stainless-steel swimming pool. Nearby is a converted factory called 1949 -- The Hidden City, now a quiet courtyard oasis.

HOTEL KAPOK

This hotel, near the Forbidden City's western gate, is a modest work from Mr. Zhu, the architect better known for his Digital Beijing building. Hotel Kapok is a refurbished office building wrapped in metal lattice; the facade's blurring effect has given rise to the nickname 'the Blur Hotel.' Mr. Zhu is also at work on a branch of the Guggenheim Museum for Beijing; his plans call for a steel- and glass-clad building that is nearly invisible.

THE EMPEROR

The exterior of this hotel blends in with the gray facades of the hutongs near the Forbidden City. The space-age interior was designed by the Los Angeles-based architectural studio Graft. Modular sofas in grey, orange and lime-green zigzag down the hallways, evoking pleasant versions of 'A Clockwork Orange.' Rooms, each named for an emperor, feature a bathtub by the bed. A rooftop bar overlooks the ancient grandeur of emporers' private quarters.

JIANWAI SOHO

SOHO China, the husband-and-wife team of developers Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, seems to have branded half of Beijing with its logo. Riken Yamamoto, a Beijing-born Japanese designer, created the stark white towers of the Jianwai complex -- a mix of homes, businesses and stores, which plaster their names in the giant windows. Some love the clean lines and big windows; others liken it to a cage.

QIANMEN

South of Tiananmen Square, imperial Beijing's traditional commercial district is getting a face lift. Champions say the project is a step toward saving Beijing's last hutongs; detractors say the district is being Disney-fied. Either way, its an important experiment in preserving China's ancient culture while bringing it in line with modern needs.

借着奥运到来前那股汹涌的建筑潮，北京在短短几年间已从一片单调乏味的水泥森林摇身一变，成为吸引创新、宏大建筑的磁石。和观光客一样，奥运来宾们也希望一览被视为中国新建筑象征的北京新“五大”──包括：被称作“鸟巢”的国家体育场，其设计让人联想起古瓷器表面的裂纹；奥运会游泳项目中心“水立方”，它表面的塑料外膜看起来像是海蓝色的气泡；中央电视台大楼，凭借其扭曲的环状结构重新界定了“摩天大楼”一词的含义；国家大剧院──就像是一只被钛金属包裹的飞碟；另外还有气势恢宏的北京机场新的3号航站楼。

还有几处不那么惹人注意的建筑也融入了北京新的美学模式，其中包括安装在一家餐厅外巨大的彩屏幕墙，以及一家包裹在金属格栅里面的酒店。北京还正在朝阳公园修建一座全球最大的摩天轮。

几百年来，皇宫的金顶红墙和四合院间那狭窄的胡同一直是北京的标志。从20世纪50年代开始，中国领导人用人民大会堂和大片的预制板楼房等斯大林式的庞然大物重新塑造了这座城市。上世纪80年代的改革开放带来了一股新的建筑热潮，不过却谈不上有什么新格调。那些决意保留中国风格的北京建筑师为新建的高楼大厦加上了一个个传统风格的屋顶，但它们看上去就像是被一阵风偶然刮过来似的，非常突兀。

从2001年北京申奥成功开始，国际和当地建筑设计师像是被磁石吸引一般纷纷来到北京。英国工程公司奥雅纳(Arup)担任了“五大”建筑中四座建筑的设计和建设工作。最近，来奥雅纳的访客多得以至于该公司不得不专门聘用了接待员，还专门印制了一份地图，标出该公司主建的29座建筑。奥雅纳北京办事处正在管理央视大楼的建设，负责人罗里•麦格温(Rory McGowan)表示，从需求的快速增长到城市规划者尝试新概念的意愿等各个方面来看，条件都已经成熟。

另外，北京还拥有相对的低成本优势和大片的空地──许多地块过去都是大工厂。

“央视大楼永远不会被重复，”麦格温说。

现在，建筑设计无处不在。“中国现在拥有很多新资金。”Graft LLC建筑师格雷格•霍海塞尔(Gregor Hoheisel)表示，“新资金能发出更响亮的声音。”他设计了一处能远眺紫禁城(Forbidden City)的酒店。下文要向大家介绍北京城新的必游之处，还有一些不太为人所知的建筑瑰宝。

国家大剧院

这座规模庞大、掘地三尺的太空时代椭圆形建筑由法国的保罗•安德鲁(Paul Andreu)设计，表面由钛金属包裹，周围还有人工湖环绕。这座建筑从其入口通道开始就遭遇了不同一般的非议。观众通过水下通道进入演出大厅。监管这一工程建设的国家大剧院工程业主委员会主席万嗣铨说，只有在了解到这座综合性建筑可以在几分钟内将里面的人群疏散一空之后，他才多少接受了它。现在，他向参观者们介绍地下水如何保持人工湖的水温恒定，从而预防夏季的藻类爆发和冬季的冰冻。批评者一直对让一位外国人来设计如此重要的建筑以及这幢建筑像一只巨大煎蛋一样的外形很不满。

不管怎样，中外游客蜂拥而至。进入玻璃屋顶的入口通道，人们可以看到光线如何穿过头顶上的人工湖照射下来。在剧院的中心，国产木材和大理石将一个巨大的洞窟变成了一处亲密的空间。

央视大楼

中国国家电视台的这栋新“塔楼”实际上是个玻璃和钢铁结构的扭曲回旋式结构，由雷姆•库哈斯(Rem Koolhaas)和他的荷兰公司设计，并与奥雅纳的工程师合作完成。外立面建造预计将在奥运会开幕前完成，而内部装修可能还要花上好几个月的时间。

两座微倾的塔楼耸出地面540英尺，之后突然转向通过一个悬臂结构在空中汇合，营造出一种违反物理学定律的不稳定感。为平衡这样的结构，设计师们建造了一个庞大的底座，它就像是防止滑雪者过度前倾的雪橇。这栋大楼让附近街区的其他建筑相形见绌。“许多人对城市开发带来的影响有颇多怨言，不过有争论是件好事，”中国建筑师朱培表示，正是他敦促北京市官员邀请库哈斯及其它国际建筑师参与央视大楼设计竞标的。

国家体育场（“鸟巢”）

对于大多数奥运观众来讲，开、闭幕仪式和田径比赛的举办场地将决定着他们对北京的印象。国家体育场之所以被人们戏称为“鸟巢”，是因为它由钢筋混凝土桁架缠绕而成、并将91,000个观众座席包裹其间。这一设计灵感出自中国艺术家艾未未和瑞士建筑公司Herzog & deMeuron的头脑风暴。这座建筑让人们不禁想到中国文化。看似杂乱无章、纵横交错的梁架使人们联想到中国古代瓷器上的那些裂纹。从南边看，边缘高低起伏的碗状结构就好像是象征富裕繁荣的中国金元宝。主要支撑系统由24根柱子组成，每根柱子的重量达1,000吨。约7,000名工人花了三年时间、每班12个小时轮流昼夜工作才完成了这一工程。清华大学建筑系教授徐卫国说，“如果说央视大楼是科技的胜利，那么鸟巢就是观念的胜利。”

3号航站楼

对大多数为奥运而来的宾客而言，最先映入眼帘的将是由英国的诺曼•福斯特(Norman Foster)设计的北京首都国际机场新航站楼那宏伟的穹拱形屋顶。3号航站楼是世界上最大的封闭空间之一，年接待量预计将达5,000万人次：航站楼全长约两英里，有101扇门，31英里长的行李传送带，98条电梯步道，168部自动扶梯和179部电梯。巨大的拱形屋顶上遍布三角形的采光天窗，从外面看像是龙的鳞片──而龙则是繁荣和力量的象征。朱红色的立柱让人不禁想起封建时代老北京的红墙。

水立方

由澳大利亚PTW Architects设计的国家游泳中心(National Swimming Center)将主办多场奥运游泳和跳水比赛。建筑师们首先尝试了波浪形大楼的设计，后来才想到了气泡。建筑外墙由3,500个“气泡”组成，这些塑料外壳都是由一种透明的聚四氟乙烯材料制成。这种塑料可以传输太阳能，并起到隔热作用，从而降低30%的能耗。水立方内设有五个游泳池、17,000个座位、嬉水乐园，还有一家餐厅。

GREENPIX

在北京西边，意大利建筑师西蒙•季奥斯尔塔(Simone Giostra)把一家海鲜餐厅的一面外墙改造成多媒体幕墙──GreenPix。白天，太阳能板储存能量；夜间，这些能量则被用来发光。在未来几周的时间里，这面墙将上演居住在纽约的意大利制片人Luisa Gui监制的六部特别制作的多媒体作品。这一建筑之所以令人瞩目，是因为它没有使用更多的能源就摇身一变成了艺术作品。

瑜舍(THE OPPOSITE HOUSE)

多年以来，北京东部的三里屯地区一直是嘈杂的酒吧和露天市场。而如今，这里被香港太古集团(Swire Group)重新开发建成了购物中心、餐厅和一家名为瑜舍的高档酒店。由日本建筑师隈研吾(Kengo Kuma)设计的这家酒店从外面看像是被绿色玻璃所包裹，不过走近细看，却很像是中国传统的木制窗格。门廊中挂着金属网，还有一面满是透明塑料架的墙壁──这是对中药柜的现代诠释。快完工的地下餐厅旁边是一个不锈钢游泳池。附近还有一处由工厂改造的宁静的庭院绿洲，名为1949 The Hidden City。

木棉花酒店(HOTEL KAPOK)

临近紫禁城西门的这家酒店是朱培的一个相对平和的设计。这位建筑师以其“数字北京”大楼的设计而闻名。木棉花酒店是一幢经过重新翻修的办公楼，包裹在金属格栅之中，外墙的模糊效果让这栋建筑有了“模糊酒店”的绰号。朱培还在为古根海姆博物馆(Guggenheim Museum)北京分馆做设计工作；他计划建造一座被钢铁和玻璃覆盖的几乎看不见的建筑。

皇家驿栈(THE EMPEROR)

这座酒店的外墙和紫禁城附近胡同的灰色墙面合为一体。太空时代风格的内部装修由洛杉矶建筑工作室Graft设计。灰色、橘黄色和青柠绿的现代沙发在走廊中间错落排开，让人想起了快乐版的《发条橙》(A Clockwork Orange)。每个房间都以皇帝的名字命名，床边还安装有浴盆。屋顶酒吧俯瞰着富丽堂皇的皇家私人宅第。

建外SOHU

夫妻档地产商潘石屹和张欣旗下的SOHO中国(SOHO China)似乎在半个北京城都打上了自己的标签。生于北京的日本设计师山本理显(Riken Yamamoto)创造出了建外那片白色的楼群──其中有住宅、企业和商铺，商户们将它们的广告贴在巨大的窗户上。有些人喜爱这些建筑简洁的线条和大大的窗户，不过也有人将这片建筑比作笼子。

前门

位于天安门广场以南的这片老北京传统商业区正在旧貌换新颜。支持者说，这项工程向着拯救北京日渐消失的胡同又迈出了一步，批评者则说，这一地区正在被“迪士尼化”。不管怎样，这都是探索如何在保护中国古文化的同时兼顾现代需求的一项重要实践。 （实习编辑：顾萍）