2/16/2011

Under construction: Dalian International Conference Center by Coop Himmelb(l)au

The construction of the Dalian International Conference Center designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au is in progress.
The Dalian International Center, Coop Himmelb(l)au, © Coop Himmelb(l)au

A short presentation of the city of Dalian and its ongoing urban development. Dalian is an important seaport, industrial, trade, and tourism center, located in the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula in the Chinese Liaoning Province.
The masterplan articulates 4 major elements:

  1. Dislocation of container port out from the dense city area
  2. Establishment of international port for cruise ships
  3. new urban development on reclaimed land
  4. bridge over the sea bay to connect with the special economic zone

Under Construction © Coop Himmelb(l)au

Situated at the terminal point of the future extension of the main city axis, this Dalian Urban Development will be a landmark for the city of Dalian. The goal is to anchor this center as its focal point in the mental landscape of the international community.
The volume is spatially multifaceted cantilevered by the conference spaces that penetrate the façades. Theaters and conference spaces are covered by a cone-shaped roof screen providing a controlled daylight inside the building which assure good spatial orientation for the users. This results to something that should be called a modern hybrid.
© Coop Himmelb(l)au

The Dalian International Conference Center will combine and merge the rational structure and organization of its modern conference center typology with the floating spaces of traditional Asian architecture as well as with a design reminiscent of the soft surfaces generated by the forces of the sea.

This building comprises:

  • conference center
  • theater and opera house. The theater has a capacity of 1,600 seats and a stage tower.
  • exhibition center and 
  • parking, delivery and disposal.


From these four elements aside, a public zone at ground level will allow users for the access, with the shopping and exhibition facilities directly connected to the conference center providing dramatic sight axis within the building.
The flexible conference hall, with a capacity of 2,500 seats, is positioned at the core in the center of the building. The main auditorium is equipped with backstage areas with the option to get equipped with a flexible floor providing all possible utilization from banquet to parliamentary seating.
© Coop Himmelb(au)

The smaller conference spaces are arranged around this core. Most conference rooms and the circulation areas have direct daylight from above.
User orientation within the building is facilitated by identifiable "addresses" in that the theater and conference spaces on the main level establish an urban structure with "squares" and "street spaces".
The conference utilization also is facilitated with the required informal meeting places, chill-out and catering zones in between the halls with view on the outside.
The footprint of the building on site depends on the orientation of the two major urban axis which merge in front of the building.
© Coop Himmelb(l)au

The architectural design of this building emerges from the intricate interaction of technology and construction. For this building, Coop HimmelB(l)au collaborates with Engineers Klaus Bollinger, Manfred Grohmann and Oliver Tessmann as the agency did for the BMW.  This building is like an organism. Firstly the technical systems which have a service function fulfil the tasks required for the spatial use of the building automatically.
© Coop Himmelb(l)au

High standards in circulation and comfort as well as high flexibility, low energy consumption and low use of other natural resources have been estimated with various criteria. The agency starts by considering a huge amount of people circulating inside the building at the same time. The main task for conference zone is to provide technical areas in the basement with sufficient amount of air, maintaining a high level of thermal and acoustical comfort.
The conditioned air will be silently injected into the rooms via an inflated double flooring underneath the seating. Air blowout units inside the stairs will ensure consistent air distribution. Due to the thermal uplift, the heat of the people ascends to the ceiling and is extracted by suction. Cooling in summer times will be provided by radiant ceiling panels which can additionally be used as radiant heaters in the wintertime.
Besides the mechanical equipment for air supply and exhaust we propose installation for heat energy recovery, so that this energy can be recycled for use inside the building.
© Coop Himmelb(l)au

One of the major tasks of sustainable architecture is the minimization of energy consumption. A fundamental contribution is to avoid consideration fluctuations in demands during the course of the day. Therefore it is essential to integrate the natural resources of the environment like:
Use the thermal energy of seawater with heat pumps for cooling in summer and heating in winter.
General use of low temperature systems for heating in combination with activation of the concrete core as thermal mass in order to keep the building on constant temperature.
Natural ventilation of the huge air volumes within the building allows for minimization of the mechanical apparatus for ventilation heating and cooling. The atrium is conceived as a solar heated, naturally ventilated sub-climatic area.
In the large volume individual areas can be treated separately by additional measures such as displacement ventilation.
A high degree of daylight use is aspired both for its positive psychological effect and for minimizing the power consumption for artificial lighting.
Energy production with solar energy panels integrated into the shape of the building.

Building facts
Project: Dalian International Conference Center
Program: Conference Center
Architects: Coop Himmelb(l)au
Design Principal: Wolf D. Prix
Project Partner: Paul Kath (until 2010), Wolfgang Reicht
Project Architect: Wolfgang Reicht
Structural Engineers: B+G Ingenieure, Bollinger Grohmann Schneider ZT-GmbH, Vienna, Austria, DADRI Dalian Institute of Architecture Design and Research Co., LTD, Dalian, P.R. China
Location: Dalian, China
Competition: 03/2008, 1st Prize
Start of planning: 07/2008
Start of Construction: 11/2008
Site Area: 40,000 sqm
Gross Floor Area Conference Center: 91,250 sqm
Gross Floor Area Parking: 24,400 sqm
Gross Floor Area Total: 117,650 sqm
Footprint: 33,000 sqm
Gross Cubage Above Ground: 1,250,000 sqm
Gross Cubage Underground: 200,000 sqm
Façade Area: 30,600 sqm
Roof Area: 28,000 sqm
Building Height: 60m
Building Length: 220m
Building Width: 200m
Number of Floors: 8
Client: Dalian Municipal People's Government, P.R. China

Credits
All images are © Coop Himmelb(l)au

Source: Coop Himmelb(l)au

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