Located in the Beijing Olympic Park (Zone B), the China National Convention Center has a total Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 270,000 square meters, with 150,000 square meters above ground and 120,000 square meters at basement level. The curve of the building façade symbolizes a bridge which connects cultures and knowledge from around the world. The venue was originally designed and functioned as an event venue for fencing and pentathlon competitions, and as an international broadcast centre and main press centre for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. After the Games, the building was renamed as the China National Convention Center for re-use as a venue for hosting international conferences and exhibitions.
The uniqueness of the project is its single building, comprising indoor stadiums, plant and machine rooms and a broadcasting centre, which achieved a high standard of noise and vibration control during the Olympic Games. At the time of its construction it was unprecedented in Olympic history.
The National Convention Center project was awarded an ‘Outstanding Survey and Design Prize’, a ‘Construction Innovation Prize’ and a ‘Scientific Innovation Prize’ for Olympic engineering projects. In addition, it also received ‘Great Wall Cup Gold – Structure’ and ‘Great Wall Cup Gold – Architectural’ awards – the highest awards in engineering in China.