Arup provided the complex engineering design. The tower serves as headquarters for China Central Television (CCTV). Groundbreaking took place on June 1, 2004 and the building's facade was completed in January 2008. After the construction having been delayed as result of a fire which in February 2009 engulfed the adjacent Television Cultural Center, the Headquarters has been finally completed in May 2012.
The main building is not a traditional tower, but a loop of six horizontal and vertical sections covering 473,000 m2 (5,090,000 sq ft) of floor space, creating an irregular grid on the building's facade with an open center. The construction of the building is considered to be a structural challenge, especially because it is in a seismic zone. In order not to lock in structural differentials this connection was scheduled in the early morning when the steel in the two towers cooled to the same temperature.
