The reporter learned from the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality that by making full use of recyclable materials, adopting a retractable roof, and applying the idea of "smart exhibition", the unfinished China National Convention Centre Phase Two (CNCC-II) will become a premium building in the capital Beijing to serve China's distinctive major-country diplomacy in the new era.
The international center for exchanges is one of the four centers which Beijing aims to be. To serve China's distinctive major-country diplomacy in the new era, the city needs to improve the capacity and services of its facilities to meet new requirements. Thus, Beijing North Star Co. Ltd., with the goal of "promoting technology-driven development with global vision,international standards and Chinese characteristics", plans ahead and meticulously builds CNCC-II in order to implement the Master Plan of Development for Beijing (2016-2035) and give full play to the enterprise's advantage in professional exhibition operation and management.
Forward-looking designs for diplomatic events
Located in the Beijing Olympic Green Area, the China National Convention Center Phase II covers an area of 785,000 square meters, lying to the north of Phase I. CNCC-II consists of a main structure as well as its supporting constructions. The former is a convention and exhibition center with a total floor area of about 419,000 square meters. The latter covers about 366,000 square meters, including 5A-level office buildings, premium commercial complexes, and hotels. These buildings and the main structure will form a conference and exhibition complex with comprehensive functions and modern facilities. After completion, it will serve major state events and high-level conferences and exhibitions on a regular basis. The complex is an important facility to improve the role of Beijing as the center for international exchanges.
The construction of CNCC-II started in January 2019. On August 31, 2020, the main steel structure was completed 76 days ahead of schedule. On June 30, 2021, its outer curtain wall was completed and officially unveiled. CNCC-II was used as the Main Media Centre of the Beijing Winter Olympics. After successfully serving the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics, CNCC-II is under construction again. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024 and officially put into use in 2025.
The main structure is 460 meters long, 150 meters wide and 45 meters high, with 3 floors above ground and 2 floors underground. It has large pre-function space, pillar-free Plenary Hall, sky gardens, summit halls, dining halls, various multi-functional halls, etc. The main structure is characterized by natural grace and elegance, resembling a Kun-peng (a massive beast that looks like hybrids of fish and birds) spreading its wings. Its exquisite overhanging eaves on the east elevation demonstrate the essence of traditional Chinese architecture. Details such as the layout of venues, interior design, the standard of floor-to-floor height, and the area of different zones all meet the requirements for serving major state events.
Sustainable, energy-efficient and green buildings embrace the sky.
"Beijing North Star Co. Ltd. has been upholding the sustainable development vision of innovation, coordination, green and openness for all since it started to build CNCC-II. The enterprise is committed to building a world-class smart exhibition center and energy-efficient green buildings which can meet the highest standards." Li Xiaolin, deputy general manager of North Star Exhibition Investment Co., Ltd. said.
After multiple evaluations, an all-steel construction design was adopted for CNCC-II and its foundation, steel construction system and component materials were upgraded across the board. The all-steel construction system which is resource-efficient and environmentally friendly makes the most of recyclable materials. The system has saved about 5,000 tons of steel and cut the consumption of non-recyclable materials by about 224,000 tons without sacrificing building durability and safety.
Meanwhile, CNCC-II makes full use of renewable energy. 600 square meters of solar thermal collectors will be installed, which can meet the demand of 17.5 tons of hot water per day. The all-air air-conditioning system in the main structure can turn its fresh air ratio to 70% during the transition season, saving about 31% of the annual energy consumption. The saved energy could allow an electric vehicle to travel 54.5 million kilometers or circle the earth 1,363 times. The garden on the top of the three-storey structure is equipped with a retractable roof which can improve natural ventilation and lighting so that the main structure can "breathe" with the city under the sky.
In November 2020, the main structure of CNCC-II was awarded a Green Building Design Label (also known as "Three Star"), the highest-level certification in China's green building rating system.
Shared services platforms empower smart convention and exhibition venues.
The philosophy of "smart exhibition" has been fully applied in CNCC-II. BIM (Building Information Modelling) professional top-down design is adopted in the whole process of design and construction. CNCC-II represents the largest and most typical full-life-cycle BIM application with the smallest information granularity in China. It is the first project in the industry to promote shared services platforms in building a convention and exhibition complex. This smart complex integrates environmental, technological, economic and other elements.
It is reported that shared services platforms have torn down information silos in a smart system by connecting previously independent 5A systems (communication automation, building automation, office automation, fire automation and security automation). These platforms enable data sharing and information exchange, helping to innovate venue management, development models and construction ideas. Thanks to the platforms, a batch of digital transformation pilot programs have been put in place. As a result, the venue system of CNCC-II has become smarter and more efficient with more customized services.
At present, CNCC-II is under construction. Meanwhile, its venue operation plan has been made ahead of time and relevant market research has been undertaken in advance to actively cater for high-level international conferences. After completion, CNCC-II will be integrated with China National Convention Center Phase I as a convention and exhibition complex which covers over 1.3 million square meters in total.
(Reporter: Liu Xinxin)
