A government official overseeing the construction of China's National Theater has said that the theater will likely be reinspected following the Sunday collapse of a terminal at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, also the work of French designer Paul Andreu.

Andreu's design sparked hot debate before it was finally approved, especially among architects. However, the majority of the discussion centered on appearance rather than safety.

The 2.7 billion yuan (US$328 million) National Theater, located near Beijing's central Tian'anmen Square and behind the Great Hall of the People, is a 6,000-seat glass-and-titanium teardrop-shaped bubble surrounded by water. Construction is scheduled to be completed next year.

Andreu said he hoped his controversial building would become one of the landmarks of the Chinese capital.

When he learned of the accident at the Paris airport, Andreu cut short his stay in Beijing. He refused to speculate on the cause of the collapse, saying that his design for the terminal may have been bold but the materials used were "nothing revolutionary," according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Professor Wu Huanjia, of Tsinghua University's School of Architecture, said, "It is necessary for China to learn a lesson and to be more cautious and accurate in the safety of architecture." But he noted, "For the moment, we cannot definitely conclude that the airport walkway collapse was a result of the design. It was most probably caused by materials or bad construction."

In addition to the National Theater, Andreu, 66, has designed the new Guangzhou Stadium, Shanghai Pudong Airport, Sanya Airport in Hainan Province and the Shanghai Pudong Oriental Arts Center.

President Hu Jintao, hearing that two Chinese were killed in the collapse of the airport terminal, immediately directed the Foreign Ministry to assist the French in helping the injured and properly handling affairs regarding the Chinese victims.

Killed in the tragic accident were Wu Xin, 32, a sales manager from the Beijing Mashi Trade Corporation; and Liu Jianfang, about 30, a saleswoman from Beijing Mashi's Xiamen office.

(Xinhua and China Daily May 27, 2004)