Yabuli Entrepreneurs Congress Center

On a site of 22,000 square meters with a total interior area of 16,000 square meters, the building consists of a library, exhibition halls, and more than 20 well-equipped multi-functional rooms. This new permanent site is designated to host the annual event of China Entrepreneurs Forum (CEF) as well as the Chinese Entrepreneurs Museum. The center also hosts educational programs for entrepreneurs and corporations, which can accommodate big conferences, exhibitions, corporate training programs and think tanks simultaneously.

MAD Architects designed the congress center to blend into the surrounding scenery and topography. From a distance, it looks like a giant white tent, floating down from the top of the mountain then gently dissipating into the snow. The undulating ridgelines of the roof structure is inspired by the shape of distant snow-capped mountains while the organic and biological texture of the white aluminum panels recall the contours of fresh snow.

The interior layout and circulation works with the building’s height differences that follow the downward slope of the hill, leavingart of the building hidden underground. The farthest ends of the curved roof cantilever up to 20 meters to provide shelter for passersby from inclement weather.The floor-to-ceiling glass curtain walls frame both the east and west sides of the building, while the north and south facades blend into the sunken courtyard landscape.

Sunlight from the central skylight floods the wood-clad lobby, which maintains a commanding presence within the central axis of the center. Additional light features are embedded throughout the structure to illuminate the dynamic activity taking place inside while ETFE, a lightweight and translucent plastic polymer, is integrated into the curtain wall structure to diffuse light throughout the interior. The lobby can function as a temporary performance space thanks to an acoustic design using wood panels with 4mm micro-perforations.

The main conference hall is an entirely column-free space that can accommodate ne arly 1,000 people. The LED screen of the 350-seat auditorium can be opened to transform the surrounding mountains into a backdrop.In addition to creating a dramatic and transparent space, the floor-to-ceiling glass merges the interior and exterior views of the pure snow scenery and the warm wooden interior into a singular composition.