The International Exhibition Centre has become an important venue for conferences, trade fairs and industry expos attended by delegates from across the globe. It has its own station on Line 15 of the Beijing Subway, located next to the city’s Capital International Airport. The new 438,500 sq.m Phase II by Zaha Hadid Architects will significantly expand its exhibition space.
The Centre’s composition, arranged as a series of interconnecting lines and geometries, takes inspiration from the textures of glazed tubular ceramic tile roofs within traditional Chinese architecture, while its copper colour and large recessed windows give further expression to the visually dynamic envelope.
A central north-south axis is the primary connecting space between the east and west exhibition halls; providing functional clarity, maximum flexibility and efficiency as well as defining shared courtyards for informal meetings and relaxation in landscaped gardens, cafes and outdoor public event spaces. Secondary bridges at higher levels add a further layer of connectivity between the centre’s network of facilities.
The movement of people, goods and vehicles throughout the centre is divided into three separate routes to aid circulation, provide optimal adaptability and avoid disruption to ongoing events.
A composite roof system is designed to insulate the interior environment and provide maximum sound absorption. The roof’s symmetric geometries create an efficient lightweight large span structure to provide a column-free flexible space that can quickly adapt to changes in exhibitions and nature of use; its industrial materiality and scale balanced with its fluid architectural language. Modular fabrication and construction methods will minimize construction time, investment, and operational costs.
Solar arrays will harvest renewable energy while a smart building management system will adjust the hybrid ventilation as required, ensuring optimum natural ventilation supported when necessary, by high efficiency HVAC equipment to enhance indoor air quality and further reduce electricity demand. Rainwater collection and grey water recycling, extensive gardens and natural landscaping, and advancements in sustainable building technologies will target minimum embodied carbon and emissions.
