British architecture studio Zaha Hadid Architects has completed the Capital International Exhibition Centre in Beijing’s Shunyi district. Designed to accommodate a growing number of international conferences, the building includes nine exhibition halls, three reception areas, a 9,000-seat convention centre and a hotel. The copper-hued aluminium-clad structure is “the largest and most modern convention and exhibition centre in Beijing,” according to Zaha Hadid Architects.
The architectural ensemble of the center combines functionality with the aesthetics of futurism. Above the spacious courtyard, which serves as the semantic and spatial core of the complex, elegant ribbon bridges are thrown, connecting the upper levels of the buildings. Four rectangular exhibition halls are located on one side of the courtyard, and five on the opposite side. The main entrance in the center of the eastern facade is marked by a monumental arch and leads to a lobby opening onto the courtyard. On both sides of the northern entrance there is a hotel and a conference center, which are connected to the exhibition areas by bridges - according to the design of the bureau, they not only provide internal circulation but also symbolically "intertwine" all the functional zones into a single organism.
The logistics of the complex are thought out to the smallest detail: the flows of visitors, goods and transport are divided into three independent routes. This helps to avoid chaos during large-scale events and at the same time maintain the adaptability of the center. The lightweight roof structure made it possible to create column-free interior spaces that can be changed in accordance with the needs of event organizers. “Thanks to the composite roof system with symmetrical geometry, we were able to build a lightweight, wide-span, column-free structure that quickly adapts to changes during the course of events,” say representatives of the Zaha Hadid Architects studio.
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