INTRO:
The USA's cities are being transformed by Asian investment. In San Francisco a Chinese company has helped build the city's second tallest tower. And in Los Angeles skyscrapers are being built with Chinese and Korean investment - after years of it being a mostly flat city. Frances Read reports.
IN: "It's another…
OUT: Los Angeles.
DUR: 2,31"
http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0612Skyscrapers-fr-gen.mp3
PKG:
VO1: It's another busy day in downtown Los Angeles. But this city is changing. Skyscrapers and buildings are emerging as part of a revamp of the city and they have a different kind of feel. That's because many of them are being built with Asian money. Here two buildings have been backed by Chinese companies. Cliff Pearson is from the University of Southern California's School of Architecture. He says Asian influence is transforming the USA.
"Los Angeles has always been a very spread out city. It's a sprawling city, a city of mostly 2-3 storey buildings but what you're seeing in Los Angeles now it's very tall buildings, the three biggest projects downtown are all being developed by asian developers."
VO2: Los Angeles is a city where people drive. The underground metro train is a secondary thought for many. But, influenced by places like China, the USA's cities are starting to place more emphasis on central hubs and public transport. And the type of buildings Asian investors are constructing look different too.
"They've learned how to build in very tight places and build very high. They've tended to mix their different uses so you'll find residential, commercial, retail, hotel, sometimes recreation, sometimes entertainment all in the same building or the same complex."
VO3: Other cities like New York are seeing similar development. And that goes for places like San Francisco too where Chinese backers helped build the city's second tallest tower. But in places like Los Angeles - where there are frequent earthquakes - it's also about special engineering as well. Tammy Jow is one of the architects constructing the tallest building west of the Mississippi, in LA. The cash behind it has come from a Korean firm.
"Obviously we haven't built anything this tall in Los Angeles ever. We're building a very tall slender building in a high seismic zone four location and we've utilised the technology called buckling restraint braces and they act like shock absorbers. In LA it's always moving, when and if a big one does happen the building is designed to handle it. It really exemplifies the friendship and the potential we have as a country to do business with Asia."
VO4: For Asian companies, the USA's cities are a safe place to invest. And that means America is truly becoming a place where East meets West. Frances Read, Los Angeles.
The USA's cities are being transformed by Asian investment. In San Francisco a Chinese company has helped build the city's second tallest tower. And in Los Angeles skyscrapers are being built with Chinese and Korean investment - after years of it being a mostly flat city. Frances Read reports.
IN: "It's another…
OUT: Los Angeles.
DUR: 2,31"
http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0612Skyscrapers-fr-gen.mp3
PKG:
VO1: It's another busy day in downtown Los Angeles. But this city is changing. Skyscrapers and buildings are emerging as part of a revamp of the city and they have a different kind of feel. That's because many of them are being built with Asian money. Here two buildings have been backed by Chinese companies. Cliff Pearson is from the University of Southern California's School of Architecture. He says Asian influence is transforming the USA.
"Los Angeles has always been a very spread out city. It's a sprawling city, a city of mostly 2-3 storey buildings but what you're seeing in Los Angeles now it's very tall buildings, the three biggest projects downtown are all being developed by asian developers."
VO2: Los Angeles is a city where people drive. The underground metro train is a secondary thought for many. But, influenced by places like China, the USA's cities are starting to place more emphasis on central hubs and public transport. And the type of buildings Asian investors are constructing look different too.
"They've learned how to build in very tight places and build very high. They've tended to mix their different uses so you'll find residential, commercial, retail, hotel, sometimes recreation, sometimes entertainment all in the same building or the same complex."
VO3: Other cities like New York are seeing similar development. And that goes for places like San Francisco too where Chinese backers helped build the city's second tallest tower. But in places like Los Angeles - where there are frequent earthquakes - it's also about special engineering as well. Tammy Jow is one of the architects constructing the tallest building west of the Mississippi, in LA. The cash behind it has come from a Korean firm.
"Obviously we haven't built anything this tall in Los Angeles ever. We're building a very tall slender building in a high seismic zone four location and we've utilised the technology called buckling restraint braces and they act like shock absorbers. In LA it's always moving, when and if a big one does happen the building is designed to handle it. It really exemplifies the friendship and the potential we have as a country to do business with Asia."
VO4: For Asian companies, the USA's cities are a safe place to invest. And that means America is truly becoming a place where East meets West. Frances Read, Los Angeles.