Hefei Binhu International Science Exchange Center
gmp awarded commission for conference center
Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province, is an important center for research and science in China and is driving forward the development of a Science City in Hefei’s Binhu District. The heart of the development will be represented by the International Science Exchange Center. Architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp), together with China IPPR International Engineering Co., Ltd have won the bidding for this nearly 90,000 square meter conference center.
The-8.6-hectare development area includes a spacious park and lake landscape to be created as part of the renaturation of a former airport. As the center of the master plan, the conference center is positioned on an island on this lake and is accessed via three wide bridges.
The core of the building is formed by the spherical volume of the large multifunctional hall that rests on four cores and is inscribed in a square field with a large cantilever. In this way, the design generates the model of a sphere that causes deformation of a plane owing to its gravity. This creates an unmistakable and symbolic architecture that also visually captures Einstein’s theory of gravity, according to which the gravity of massive objects causes space-time to warp.
The podium is stepped down towards the water and accommodates further meeting rooms as well as generous exhibition and event spaces under its cantilevered roof. The circular foyer positioned centrally under the sphere-shaped volume of the hall creates an impressive multifunctional room connected to all levels.
The lighting design of the foyer canopy, the hall dome and the vaulted roof reinterpret various astronomical motifs from the starry sky: Light bands following the concentric rings of the roof seem to pulsate outwards, rendering the public areas of the building visible from afar.
