China currently boasts the world's largest building, could soon be home to the world's tallest pair of towers, and according to Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), we will soon be able to add an airport passenger terminal to the list. The firm has unveiled plans for its Beijing New Airport Terminal Building, which it says will be the world's largest. The project is collaboration between ZHA and airport architecture firm ADP Ingenierie, and is being carried out under the leadership of the Beijing New Airport Headquarters (BNAH). Building will initially accommodate 45 million passengers per year and "will be adaptable and sustainable, operating in many different configurations dependent on varying aircraft and passenger traffic throughout each day," states ZHA. Beyond its predicted capacity of 45 million passengers per year, details on the new terminal building are scant. Gizmag reports that the terminal will "measure 700,000 square meters, and that the entire airport will be completed in 2018, for a total budget of roughly US$13.8 billion," but notes that ZHA is yet to confirm this. The mammoth new star-shaped terminal will include "direct links to local and national rail services including the Gaotie high speed rail," and is planned as "a key hub within Beijing's growing transport network and a catalyst for the region's economic development, including the city of Tianjin and Hebei Province". The New Beijing Terminal Building is being developed so as to alleviate pressure on Beijing's existing Capital Airport. Completed in 2008, the Foster + Partners-designed airport is already one of the largest in the world, but has been operating beyond its capacity.

Officials in a Beijing suburb have sidestepped President Xi Jinping's crackdown on government waste by building themselves a lavish office complex reminiscent of the Kremlin. Mentougou, a largely rural district in western Beijing with some 270,000 residents, is now home to a group of government buildings with onion-shaped golden crowns, arched windows and white walls similar to the Cathedral of Annunciation, the five-century-old Russian Orthodox Church located inside the Kremlin in Moscow. The meteorological bureau was the first tenant in the new compound. The three other buildings will house the district's seismological bureau, water bureau, and the bureau of landscape and forestry. The district's meteorological office refused to comment. One of the buildings in the compound cost US$ 3.5 million, and another more than US$ 1.5 million. This was not the first mainland government building to imitate or be inspired by an overseas landmark. One of the most notorious examples was the government headquarters in Fuyang, an impoverished city in Anhui province, which was built a decade ago at a cost of at least US$ 5 million. It has since become a tourist attraction for its purported resemblance to Washington State Capitol.

A Chinese man is believed to have illegally built an astonishing rooftop palace on the top of a residential building in Beijing. The bizarre two-story edifice - which looks like it has been carved from a mountainside - was constructed by a man known only as Professor Zhang on the top of a suburban apartment block. The professor is said to have spent over six years building his home, after knocking down the penthouse he bought on the 26th floor in 2007. The rocks, said to be imitation shells rather than solid stone, have trees and bushes growing among them, as in classical Chinese landscape painting. Poking out from between them, sections of the house underneath can be seen - a blue-framed window here, a balcony under a curved roof there. The property even has a rocky mountain garden, complete with rubble and shrubbery. Residents of other apartments in the block claim they have been disturbed by constant noise from the property's construction, as well as problems with leaks and cracks. One resident said that several neighbors had even chosen to move out because of the villa. Others complained about damage to pipes and walls in their units. According to Chinese regulations and laws, the structure and layout of buildings cannot be changed without going through legal procedures to get the approval of relevant departments. So the owner of the villa in Haidian district and head of a traditional Chinese medicine chain, is required to demolish the structure within 15 days from August 12. As the owner of the house did not get prior approval from the government, the structure was ruled illegal by the Beijing construction authority. If Zhang does not provide documents to defend his right to keep the villa or does not demolish it in the allotted time, it will be demolished by chengguan after government approval.

It was only a few years ago when Beijing proudly unveiled National Stadium, also known as "The Bird's Nest" an architecture marvel and centerpiece for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Unfortunately, just four years after the venue was built, Reuters photographer David Gray captured a series of disheartening images revealing to the world an unused and neglected facility. While on site, Gray also discovered that several other Olympic buildings, including the rowing, beach volleyball and cycling facilities, all built new, were rusting and beginning to fall apart. According to NPR reports, Ai Weiwei, the highly praised artist who consulted on the design of "The Bird's Nest" felt the structure has become propagandized and failed to be integrated into the life of the city. For this reason, the artists had refused to go inside the stadium. With limited use since the 2008 Games, the estimated US$ 10 million to maintain the structure is unavailable, leaving the once thriving building vulnerable to decay. In an effort to avoid the "chronic Olympic legacy" and financial burden, 2012 London Olympic organizers are taking a closure look at sustainability - hoping to extend the shelf life of these expensive and unique venues. According to the International Herald Tribune, as there was no need for permanent facilities - many of the London 2012 host buildings were designed as "temporary venues" that can be recycled or dismantled. The 12 thousand-seat basketball court might be "the most temporary grand building in Olympic History". Event organizers are confident the entire structure including court, infrastructure, changing rooms and all 12 thousand reusable spectator stands can be easily deconstructed. The 55 thousand-seat Olympic stadium is built using one third the amount of steel used to construct the Bird's Nest and the roof will be completely dismantled following the Olympic and Paralympic Games. A report by World Wildlife Fund and BioRegional, an independent trust that advocated sustainability, released just last week found that these Olympic Games met their green goals. Inevitably, the 600 thousand additional visitors to Games will put a strain on the urban area in areas of transportation, fuel use and pollution - but recent efforts to maintain sustainable structures may set a new bar for future Olympic host cities.

As reported by Chinadaily, developers working on a new skyscraper, which once built will be the capital's tallest building, say they will break ground on the project on September 19. CITIC Group (China International Trust and Investment Corporation), which won the rights to the 11.478 square meters land in the Central Business District (CDB) with a bid of US$ 563 million on last December 21, plans to build a 510-meters tall office tower with 104 floors above ground and four basement levels. The final design hasn't been decided yet, as the group is waiting for municipal governmen's approval, but the building will be higher than 500 meters. The new skyscraper is called Zhongguo Zun, which means China Goblet, as the inspiration for the design came from an ancient ritual vessel. Construction will be completed in five to seven years and the completed building will offer 350 thousand square meter of space. The land where the building will stand is in the north of the CBD, which houses many international companies. The capital's tallest building now is Tower 3 of China World Trade Center, which is 330 meters tall and is also in the CBD. The skyscraper is expected to serve as an office building for CITIC Group. The design of the new skyscraper adopts many elements from traditional culture, such as the Kongming (Floating Paper) Lamp. The building will remind people of the ancient Chinese city, representing Beijing's image perfectly.