Captial International Exhibition and Convention Center by ZHA
The new Capital International Exhibition & Convention Center (CIECC) by Zaha Hadid Architects is Beijing's largest and most advanced exhibition and convention venue; expanding the city's existing facility to over 611,000 sq. m with nine new exhibition halls as well as three new reception halls, a conference center for 9,000 delegates and a hotel with 410 rooms. Achieving the highest certification of China's Green Building Program, the center uses smart building management systems. Rainwater collection, gray water recycling, and photovoltaics for on-site energy generation will reduce water and energy demand from the city's municipal supply.
The CIECC's central north-south axis leads to an outdoor courtyard that serves as the primary connector between the nine exhibition halls. Four rectangular exhibition halls sit on one side of the courtyard and five on the other, enclosed on the ground floor by curving glass walls. Bridges informed by ribbons span diagonally over the courtyard to connect the upper-level spaces and provide indoor circulation between event spaces. The conference center and hotel are located to the north of the site, which leads to the exhibition halls.
The CIECC's composite roof system of symmetric geometries creates an insulated, lightweight, large-span structure providing column-free spaces that can be quickly adapted to changes in exhibitions and nature of use. The center's fluid architectural language and pleated, deep copper-colored façade incorporating large, recessed windows, have been designed to balance the CIECC's immense industrial scale and materiality.
References:
