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World's Largest Structural Steel
Tower Built on an IAS Foundation

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IAS was instrumental in the inspection and steel fabrication used to build the CCTV tower.

The $600 million China Central Television (CCTV) Tower, located in Beijing, China, will reportedly become the world's largest structural steel building upon its completion in 2008. This unique structure will stretch 102 stories into the air and ultimately incorporate over 120 tons of structural steel, of which every component has been fabricated and inspected in a facility that meets the highest international standards.

The structural steel members and components are fabricated and supplied by the Shanghai Grandtower Steel Structure Co., Ltd. (SGSSC) (FA-396), which is an IAS-accredited company; meaning its in-plant inspection program for structural steel fabrication meets the highest standards as outlined in Section 1704.2.2 of the International Building Code. As part of this accreditation, the fabricator is regularly audited by Smith-Emery Company (AA-554), an IAS-accredited, independent inspection agency, to confirm that SGSSC continues to operate in accordance with the IAS Accreditation Criteria for Fabricator Inspection Programs for Structural Steel (AC172).

"The international best practice standards upheld by both the fabricator and the inspection agency of the Tower's steel materials sets a strong tone of quality and excellence for the entire project," stated IAS Accreditation Officer Sandi McCracken. "We are proud that IAS fabrication inspection standards have become an integral part of what will soon be an extraordinary architectural icon for Beijing."

The CCTV complex will serve as headquarters for all broadcasting activities. The country's largest TV station, CCTV transmits a total of 270 hours of programming daily, reaching a domestic audience of 1.1 billion people, or 90 percent of the country's population. Signals from the 14 channels cover the entire country via satellite. In addition, CCTV (International Channel) and CCTV (English Channel) basically cover the whole world via satellite.