BEIJING /PRNewswire/ - The Beijing Olympic Green Convention Center (BOGCC), located on the Olympic Boulevard and designed by the international award-winning architectural firm RMJM, recently opened its doors to media outlets from around the globe in preparation for the start of the 2008 Olympic Games.
This media center, the largest in Olympic history, is part of the BOGCC complex that accommodates both the Main Press Center (MPC) and International Broadcasting Center (IBC). Occupying more than 150,000 square meters, the MPC and IBC will be home to more than 20,000 accredited journalists, photographers and broadcasters.
The BOGCC complex will also host the Olympic and Paralympics fencing and pentathlon pistol shooting events and comprises of two sports halls. The adjacent hotels in the multi-purpose complex will be used during the Olympic to accommodate some of the visiting media contingent.
"We are very honored that RMJM, through our client Beijing North Star Corporation, is a part of the Beijing Olympic legacy and will leave a lasting footprint on the city. We worked closely with Beijing North Star to create a multi-use complex that will offer long-term financial sustainability and play a pivotal role in the city's infrastructure post Games," says Peter Morrison, group chief executive officer of RMJM Group Ltd.
In line with Beijing's "Green Olympics" message, RMJM's design includes systems that make use of natural elements together with a high degree of insulation throughout the building. Green features include the rain water collection on the roof for flushing systems and the irrigation of the surrounding landscape, an ice storage cooling system, and a "free air cooling" ventilation system in the public foyers of the convention center.
Additionally, the BOGCC has been designed to ensure maximum return on investment and the highest rate of commercial viability post Games. The 220,000-square-meter main structure is scheduled to reopen as the National Convention Center of China in 2009.
"Part of the challenge of this assignment was to ensure that the facility had a distinct and viable 'second life' shortly after the close of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. With this in mind, the design ensured that the facility could be retrofitted within a relatively short period of time without huge added expense. Post Games, the complex will accommodate the Plenary Hall, the Convention & Exhibition Center along with offices, retail, service apartments, a 5-Star hotel and a business hotel," explains RMJM's Scott Findley, design director, Asia.
"As one of the four principal venues on the Beijing Olympic Green Boulevard, the structure is understated and timeless, its roof recalling and celebrating the traditions of its Chinese pagoda. Effortless exuding power and presence, the center will welcome the people of Beijing and their guests on August 8, the date of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games," adds Findley.
Unlike many convention centers, the National Convention Center's space has been designed to be highly utilized and a destination in its own right-with its office space, retail and hotels providing year-round interest in the area. The design reflects the Beijing government's plans for the ongoing regeneration of the Northeastern part of the city of Beijing.
The BOGCC is RMJM's largest public sector design project in China to date and demonstrates the firm's ongoing commitment to the country.
RMJM is a UK-based, international firm of architects, employing 1,200 people across its network of 15 offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the United States. RMJM's expertise and design-led approach is successfully demonstrated in ongoing projects in more than 15 countries spanning a wide range of key sectors-from corporate headquarters and waterfront residential developments to major public buildings, university campuses and large-scale regeneration programs. RMJM Hillier (www.rmjmhillier.com) is the North American division of RMJM Group. The firm provides services in architecture, interior design, master planning, urban design, historic preservation, arts consultancy, land planning, landscape design, environmental graphics, and computer visualization.For further information, contact Neill Coleman [email protected] or Mindy Sherwood, [email protected].Source: RMJM Hillier (www.rmjmhillier.com)
