ASIA - The design of the new Yingkou Convention and Exposition Centre in Yingkou, China, has been awarded to 2DEFINE Architecture.
The US$68m, four-storey facility will be a sea urchin-shaped building created to reflect its natural environment. The oblong building will have no front or rear, facing in all directions to allow 360-degree views.
The convention centre will be situated on a 130,000sqm man-made island which will serve as a business destination. Construction of the island will commence in 2012 with a view to be completed in 2014.
"The Yingkou Convention and Exposition Centre will be a bold yet inviting facility in a very prominent port location," says founder and lead designer of 2DEFINE Architecture. "We hope the building will become the heart of the city by creating a building and environs that can be used 365 days of the year."
The centre will include a 25,000sqm exhibition hall, meeting rooms, a 200-seat auditorium, a banquet hall with capacity for 900 and a large glass atrium.
In addition, it will feature a rain screen system on the roof that will reflect natural light during the day and create a soft glowing form at night with minimal use of artificial light. Qiao Zhang, a partner at 2DEFINE says the building is a "significant green development in Northern China, and a showcase for business development along the Bohai Sea".
2DEFINE will work on the project with the Dalian Urban Planning and Design Institute.
UBM claimed earlier this month that more than 15,000 visitors and 127 exhibitors attended the debut edition of Ecobuild China.
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