CONFERENCE CENTER

Architect: Arata Isozaki

Location: Nanjing, China

China International Practical Exhibition of Architecture, 10 Architects in China, 10 Architects in the World, were invited to build Small-style residence, Housing, Public facility etc. planned to develop this area. This Conference hall is one of these facilities.

This architecture is an aggregation of facilities for conferences and meetings of diverse use and scale, centered around an international conference hall accommodating 400 people. The overall building is arranged so it slides into the site’s valley shaped topography in order to minimize earth work. Its design is in harmony with the natural environment, which is also the subject theme of the entire project for this Practical Exhibition.Looking from higher altitudes, most of this building’s facilities volume would be buried below ground.

First-time visitors would not directly recognize its magnitude. The upper part of this volume is a walkable terrace or else serves as an entrance court. Several volumes with distinctive figures are scattered onto this terrace. The smaller scales of these elements with regard to the whole and the introduction of natural materials such as rusty iron make these volumes symbolistic objects while respecting the harmony with the environment. Looking from lower altitudes, each function is arranged which people would stroll around.