Architecture of CCTV headquarters has genitalia shape, says critic

Beijing, Aug.22 (ANI): The new CCTV tower's design has raised a controversy with an architecture scholar alleging that it represents male and female genitalia.

According to a China Daily report, quotes architecture scholar Xiao Mo as saying in an article posted on the Internet that the "The 3D animated model we see of the CCTV headquarters is actually a giant backside getting larger as you zoom in. The main building of the CCTV complex is in the background. A naked woman, kneeling in a pose to resemble the architecture, occupies the foreground in one of them, while another woman, in a bikini and holding a gun, stares at you from the other.

Despite the collages being six years old, Xiao's posting has made many netizens join him in terming the building a "disgrace".

But Ai Weiwei, leading architectural designer and curator who has a copy of Content on his bookshelf, said it was a ridiculous joke, created by people who do not understand architecture and a section of the media that has not bothered to find out the truth.

The book was compiled by a team that included Koolhaas, Ai told China Daily, which had designed many possible covers and listed them as part of the book's content.

"We talked a lot about his (Koolhaas') philosophy of design," Ai said, claiming to be a good friend of the Harvard professor. "I am sure simple imitation of genitals was not his inspiration."

Genitals are a common design philosophy in architecture, so there is nothing wrong even if Koolhaas was inspired by them.

Noted commentator on architecture and art Fang Zhenning corroborated Ai, saying: "Koolhaas thinks architecture should be sexy, but his philosophy is not as simple and vulgar as some people accuse it of being," Fang said.

Koolhaas, was not available for comment.

The CCTV headquarters has been in the news for some time now - for the more than 5 billion Yuan (735 million dollars) it cost to build and more recently for the blaze that engulfed a smaller uilding in the complex early this year. (ANI)