To begin with, I would like to quote some lines from the Introduction of A + U special edition on CCTV by OMA written by Ole Scheeren. He questioned on the nature of skyscrapers and also the future typology of skyscrapers in relation to the urban development.
Shibata, N., CCTV by OMA: Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren, A+U, Tokyo, 2005.
" ... Is it a typology that has become the ultimate tool of financial speculation, enslaved to economics and devoid of contents? Is it nothing more than the constant and monotonous repetition of a piece of land in vertical direction, whose only aim is the profitable multiplication of the value of the ground, and whose only means of expression are reduced to striving for absolute height and dominance of the skyline of a city (if not the whole world)? Is nothing left but the self-referential quality of a vertical line, which desperately seeks (to compensate for the lack of) identity, with a decorative top sprouting a flower, pagoda style or modernist composition? Is the higher the better? all that remains? ... "
" ... After the promise of surprising programmatic variety in its initial incarnations (Manhatten), the skyscraper became emptier and emptier - and was finally adopted by Asia ... the ultimate symbol of tis modernisation at the very moment of its conceptual implosion ... " " ... It seems about time to no longer treat this typology as a commercial export product ( and subject it to the apparently irrevocable laws of Central Business Districts as their ultimate model), but instead to re-think the skyscraper as a potential for new urban manifestations ... " - end of quote
These questions stay valid, still, that, as we can see there are a lot of new typology in skyscrapers, e.g. challenging structure, modularisation, eco-towers. All these typologies have their validity with, undeniably, strong reasons/motives behind. CCTV does not exclude in this, what I called "A New Movement in Digital Architecture" which I have mentioned in my previous post. So maybe after many years later, CCTV will become like an avant-garde in the history of architecture.
Here are some of the highlighted writings in jpeg and some images of CCTV itself. Please click the image for better resolution:
Introduction by Ole Scheeren
Programme
Site Plan
Overall Diagrams
Text
Structural Studies
Structural Study Models (there are really a lot of these by Arup!)
Unfold Facade showing Structural Stress
Text + Exploded Diagram of Facade
Final Model featuring its Structure
Axo-Diagram
Key Text
Structural Analysis
Structural Documentation Drawings
More information can be found from arcspace.com, OMA official website, miragestudio7, e-architect and archiCentral.
Last but not least, here's a video clip showing OMA CCTV Presentation Video found at archifield.
