PanGu Plaza

According to the Chinese mythology, it was Pangu, 盘古, that created the university, and also made the gigantic work to separate the earth and the heaven.

With the name from Pangu, it was built just before the olympics a very beautiful set of buildings just west of the olympic green with the name PanGu Plaza. The special thing with this building is the architecture with the 192 meter hight dragon head that looks south out over the city. This is the building that dominate the Skyline in the north part of Beijing, and according to me, is a beauty. The soft shape in the top of the building gives a pleasant feeling of harmony.

PanGu Plaza include five building with office, apartments, and not at least Beijing PanGu 7 Star Hotel, 北京盘古七星酒店. The different building blocks are connected with the 411 meter long Dragon Corridor, that will be a luxury shopping mall.

PanGu Plaza is not a big tourist attraction by it self, but will act as a beautiful background when you visit the Olympic Green. If you like to se the olympic park from above, then you have one of the most beautiful view spot in beijing from the bar at the top of the hotel.

The five buildings that create PanGu Plaza look like a crawling dragon with its head high and look to the south. It has been drawn of the same architect that also done Taipei 101 (that for six years was the highest building in the world)

It is not always in a big city to get the correct picture of how big some buildings really are. PanGu Plaza is with its 192 meter just a little bit higher then the highest building in Sweden (Turning Torso in Malmö)

What is the largest building in the world?

How to define what is the largest building in the world? The meaning of "large" can for sure means different things. The Video clip below shows some different example of what can be the biggest building depending on definition.

Three of the mentioned constructions is located in China. The Great Wall is of curse the longest one, but the other two is maybe not so expected. Casino Venetian in Macao in the biggest building if you calculate floor space, and the biggest structure based on surface area is the new Terminal 3 to Beijing's International airport. When you are standing in the long taxi zone outside the check in counters it is hard to see the end - and then you are standing at the short edge. The design of the terminal is inspired by a dragon.

Beijing Internationa Ariport Terminal 3 - Dragonstyle from above

The entrance to Terminal 3 from inside.

One, for me, highly interesting category in this subject is "The highest building in the world". The highest building in China, Shanghai World Financial Center, with its 492 meter in number 2 of completed buildings today, but will soon drop down to place 5 because several new high object will be completed during 2010. Burj Dubai will take the first place with incredible 818 meters. China has never hold the title of "The highest building in the world" but have many places in the top list. Of todays 20 highest buildings in the world, 11 are located in China.