10 most expensive buildings in China

In China`s big cities you can find many skyscrapers and peculiar-looking buildings. All these buildings cost billions of dollars. Let us have a look at the 10 most expensive buildings in China.

1. The CCTV Headquarters – $800 million

The CCTV Headquarters is a 234 m, 44-story skyscraper in Beijing with a total investment of 800 million US Dollars. The building’s facade was completed in January 2008. The main building is not a traditional tower, but a loop of six horizontal and vertical sections. The construction of the building is considered to bea structural challenge, especially because it is in a seismic zone. Because of its radical shape, it gets a nickname (大裤衩), roughly translated as, “big boxer shorts”. It was designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren of OMA.

2. The National Grand Theatre -$430 million

The National Grand Theatre, also known as Beijing National Center for the Performing Arts, surround by artificial lake. The egg-shaped Opera House was designed by French architect Paul Andreu and completed in 2007 with a total investment of $430 million.

3. Beijing Capital International Airport – $2.7 billion

The total investment of Beijing Capital International Airport is about $2.7 billion: It ranks the world’s second busiest airport (The first one is Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport). The airport has 3 terminal, Just the terminal 3 is much larger than all terminals in London Heathrow Airport. This terminal was designed by the British Norman Foster Architects and put into use in early 2008.

4. Guangzhou Opera House  – $208 million

The Guangzhou Opera House has been described as the most alluring opera house built anywhere in the world for decades, with a sleek “intergalactic” form that leaves architecture-lovers swooning.  The opera house costs more than $208 million to build over five years and has been praised as a triumph for its architect.

5. Beijing National Stadium – $423 million

Beijing National Stadium is also called Beijing Bird Nest. The Stadium is the symbol of 2008 Beijing Olympic game. Beijing Bird Nest stadium costs 423 million dollars. During the 2008 Olympics Bird Nest held the opening ceremony closing ceremony. This building was designed by Herzog & de Meuron in Basel.

6. Beijing National Aquatics Center – $140 million

It was designed by Australian-based architects PTW which served as 2008 Olympic National Swimming Centre in Beijing.Construction of the $140m landmark project, nicknamed the “Water Cube”, began in December 2003, and was completed in January 2008.

7. Shanghai IFC – $1.22 billion

Shanghai IFC is located in the heart of the Pudong Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone. It was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox in New York. The project began in April 2006 with a total investment of $1.22 billion.

8. Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower – $134 million

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is located in Pudong Park in Lujiazui, Shanghai. This 468 meters (1,536 feet) high  tower is the world’s third tallest TV and radio tower surpassed in height only by towers in Toronto, Canada and Moscow, Russia. It was completed in 1994 with a total investment of $134 million.

9. The Canton Tower -$475 million

The Canton Tower (also know as Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower), the landmark of Guangzhou City, is one of the world’s most spectacular new buildings. The TV tower is 600 meters, tallest in Asia with a total investment of $475 million.

10. The Gate of the Orient – $725 million

It is called the Gate of the Orient, a new 301.8-meter high skyscraper in the Chinese city Suzhou with an arc at the top which is due to be completed at the end of this year. It is dubbed as “long underpants.” The total investment is $725 million.