Dai Qian

Core pavilion of the Expo

The Expo Center (350m in west-east direction, 140m in north-south direction), with overall building area of 140,000m2, is one of the core buildings of Expo Shanghai. It is located within riverside green areas of Zone B on the Expo site, with theme pavilions on the south side, the Expo Axis (under construction), the Expo Performance Center and China Pavilion (planned) on the east side. The building, no higher than 40m, will be built and put into operation by the end of 2009.

According to the design, the Expo Center, standing along the Huangpu River, will be provided with see-through exterior walls, offering a birds-eye view over both sides of the River as well as greatly reducing the building mass. The appearance of the Expo Center is designed to well match its perimeter China Pavilion, Theme Pavilion, Performance Center and Expo Axis, and naturally incorporate into surrounding environment, including the Expo Park and the Huangpu River.

Meet functional requirements of the Expo

The Expo Center is defined with four core functions and four corresponding support functions.

Four core functions (functional areas): 2,600-seat conference hall, 600-seat international conference hall, 5,000-seat multi-functional hall, and 3,000-seat banquet hall. The 2,600-seat conference hall is planned for major conferences and international events; the requirements on scale and facilities can be met sufficiently; the 600-seat conference hall is designed in line with the standards to holding a head meeting; it is planned to welcome chiefs of states and heads of international organizations as well as to hold the same level meetings and conferences; 5,000-seat multi-functional hall, covering an area of around 7,200m2, is designed for international conventions and assemblies; the 3,000-seat banquet hall, covering an area of around 4,800m2, is prepared for dining of such kinds.

Four corresponding support functions (functional areas): medium and small scale meeting area, public dining hall, VIP reception area, and press conference area.

Combined with these critical functions, the Expo Center, undoubtedly, will serve as the operation & commanding center, ceremony & conference center, information & press center, and forum & activity center during the Expo season.

Operation & commanding center --Standing along the Huangpu River bank and in core area of the Expo site, the Expo Center is an ideal place (readily accessible and superior location) for controlling and monitoring on-site activities during the Expo season.

Ceremony & conference center -- During the Expo season, the Expo Center will serve as a venue for grand ceremonies, including National Pavilion Day, Activity Week, etc, to be held by the host country, participating countries and international organizations and corporations, as well as for some important events concerning foreign affairs.

Information & press center -- The Expo Center is provided with news release halls of various sizes, report workrooms and advanced transmitting facilities and network systems, to spread Expo news in a timely manner and create a "zero distance" contact with the Expo.

Forum & activity center -- The Expo Center will also serve as a major venue for some important Expo forums and activities.

According to the master plan, the Expo Center, together with the perimeter building complexes, including the theme pavilions, China Pavilion, Performance Center, Expo Axis, etc, will constitute an international conference and activity center area in Shanghai, after the Expo.

Green building, energy efficient and environmentally friendly

The Expo Center is designed as a contemporary model of energy efficient and environmentally friendly buildings, in accordance with relevant national codes on energy saving, and with reference to LEED rating system, to control energy and water consumption, maintain a high level of indoor air quality and encourage the use of renewable materials.

From a technical point of view, the design plan introduces 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) philosophy, and gives an overall consideration to source and energy saving, recycling and reclaiming, in order to control the consumption of sources and energies, reduce discharge amount of pollutants, and minimize the impact to environment. Theme of the Expo, "Better City, Better Life", is well reflected in this design. The Expo Center will be built according to international green standards, by using many updated technologies, including solar energy, LED lighting fixtures, ice storage system, rainwater collection, etc.

The Expo Center will be the first one of its kind introducing LEED rating system in China. All the construction process will be certified by relevant international experts according to standard procedures. LEED-certified projects are classified as either Certified, Sliver, Gold or Platinum level. The Expo Center, of course, will try to reach the highest level, despite the difficulties. Therefore, the construction will be very particular about the selection of building materials, which should meet environmentally friendly requirements. We will see a very limited use of traditional materials, such as marble and granite, which will be substituted by a large amount of new materials of environmentally friendly and energy efficient features.

The glazing exterior wall will be made in combination with aluminum sheets, pottery boards and stone materials, to form distinct patterns. Glass Curtain Wall (the so called "Respiratory" Curtain Wall) system and low-e double glazing glass will also be adopted, to produce a perfect balance and mix of art and technology. Multi-layer spatial arrangement will not only enrich the environmental elements, but also satisfy the people's needs for sunlight and fresh air.

Considering the building location adjacent to the Huangpu River, water circulation system will be introduced for cooling purpose. Thus, a large amount of electrical power to be consumed by original AC systems can be saved. In addition, some other energy saving technologies, including ground source heat pump and rainwater collection system are rewarding supplements. In the design, much consideration is given to environmentally friendly equipment systems and utilization of their end produces, implementing the energy saving policy to the best.

The Expo Center would be a "truly" green construction by widely using new energies, new technologies and new materials and optimized ecological arrangement plans, to achieve a sustainable operation, utilization and development.

The Expo Center, a green building, with charming elevations of modern sense and high-tech intelligent functions, would be a new landmark of the city of Shanghai, standing along the Huangpu River.