With its own station on Line 15 of the Beijing Subway, the International Exhibition Centre is located next to the city’s Capital Airport and has grown to become an important venue for conferences, trade fairs and industry expos.

Meeting this growth, the International Exhibition Centre’s new 438,500 sq.m Phase II by ZHA will significantly expand its exhibition space to enhance Beijing’s position as a leading centre of knowledge and international exchange.

The integrated relationships between the exhibition halls, conference centre and hotel are echoed in the centre’s composition, arranged as a series of interconnecting lines and geometries that take inspiration from the textures of glazed tubular ceramic tile roofs within traditional Chinese architecture.

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. Bridges at higher levels add a further layer of connectivity between the centre’s facilities.

With its conference centre and hotel located to the north of the site, 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. Modular fabrication and construction methods will minimize the centre’s construction time, investment and operational costs.

Solar arrays, rainwater collection and grey water recycling will complement the advancements in sustainable building technologies adopted to target minimum embodied carbon and emissions.