City: Beijing

The master planning and re-designing of Beijing’s South Central Axis is a significant step in the city’s efforts toward redistribution of non-capital functions, completion and promotion of a more balanced development of north-south , and sustainment and extension of the Central Axis of Beijing which has its root dated back to the Yuan Dynasty.

This large-scale, strategic urban regeneration project is a joint venture between AECOM and the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design. Under the vision of a “new capital, green park city,” the plan aims to reposition this centrally located district by setting up a holistic infrastructure framework that accommodates future metropolitan connections to both the Beijing New Airport and Xiong’An New Area. At the same time, it restores the former cultural and ecological significance of Nanyuan Park at the southern end of the axis.

The “Beijing Urban Master Plan (2016-2035)” designates the South Central Axis as an ecological, cultural and development axis. In response to this, AECOM’s master plan is structured around the concepts of “Axis of Civic Projects, Ecological Urban Park Environment, and Pedestrian-rich Network.” The axis of civic projects accommodates new, innovative urban infrastructure as a catalyst for regenerative developments. The Ecological Urban Park Environment is a park design that advocates the concept of natural harmony and explores the value of urban ecological development, while the multi-layer Pedestrian Network provides a new method for future urban operation.

AECOM’s proposal features innovative planning and design concepts including infrastructure-oriented development, multi-layered city, underground public realm, biophilic city and autonomous mobility. All of these concepts add fresh functions to the city area while repositioning the historical South Central Axis as the capital’s newest business district.

AECOM was appointed to provide EPCM services to this project, located immediately adjacent to  Beijing Capital Airport.  Beijing Logistics Park is spread out over an 11.5 ha site, with a gross floor area of industrial buildings and warehouses of 75,000 sq m.

While China continues to build more high rises and large commercial complex, cities and developers also look for sustainability solutions to “build better” on top of growing higher.

With a gross floor area of over 190,000 square meters, Beijing World Financial Center is located at the intersection of the Beijing’s major traffic roads, the Third East Ring Road and Chaoyang Road in the Central Business District. It is a twin tower equipped with a centralized air conditioning system, and consists of 24-storey Grade A tenable office accommodations.

AECOM provided comprehensive environmental and sustainability consulting services for this prestigious commercial complex. As a result, the team has set an inspirational precedent for all sustainable building designs in China by achieving a platinum rating under LEED and BEAM certifications, making this the largest commercial development in the world to have achieved a LEED Core and Shell Development Platinum rating. It is also the first the first platinum certified project under both BEAM and LEED in China.

The project was awarded with the Quality Building Award (QBA) 2010 – Project outside Hong Kong Category. QBA was founded by seven building and constriction related associations in Hong Kong.

If architecture is a form of the record of history, AECOM is certainly proud to be the lead design of the conference venue that sets a stage for China to engage with the world.

Positioned as a national conference reception center, the Yanqi Lake International Conference Resort is situated in the west peninsula of the famous Beijing Yanqi Lake. With a total island area of 650,000 square meters and a construction area of 180,000 square meters, it includes 12 villas for distinguished guests, large international convention center, a boutique hotel and supporting facilities.

It hosted the Beijing APEC Economic Leaders Forum in November, 2014, when its beauty was revealed to the world. The design takes respect for subnational Chinese cultures into full account. With a traditional Chinese layout resembling the concept of the country’s territory, it takes the courtyard as the core

space for each unit of the architecture. The project reflects China’s diversity of different regions in five groups, showing its Eastern philosophy of “harmony in diversity” to people around the world withdifferent cultural backgrounds.

The project is an integrated design milestone highly spoken by the client and recognized by the market and represented the harmonization of some of AECOM’s strongest capabilities in China, including master planning, architecture design, landscape architecture, environmental and ecological design and planning. It is the first large-scale multidisciplinary and cross-office project on AECOM’s integration platform in China. In four years from conceptual plan to project implementation and successful operation, it is the embodiment of our pursuit for excellence and integrated core technical visions.

Through design consultation, the process of creating the project efficiently managed the project quality, markets the project brand, completes the project to be a reception center for state guests with the highest standard in China, and significantly promotes the co-branding benefit with AECOM. As an international demonstrative and promotional window of modern China, the project adheres to principle of sustainable development and environmental stewardship, reflecting a sense of responsibility to the environment and native culture and putting that into practice through high-level and interdisciplinary collaboration of AECOM’s design teams, creative a significant legacy on internal and external professional advancement.

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.