Other contenders were Rem Koolhaas, Philip Cox Akitects, KMD. Their design involves the location of the building between various sports facilities; separate buildings are connected by terraces and pedestrian bridges.
The biggest challenge in the design was the requirement of the customers to incorporate Qin architecture motifs into the design. The fact is that the new structure will be located in the middle of the main Olympic Boulevard, which, according to the Sasaki Essoshiates project, represents a symbolic "timeline" of Chinese history. Just as under Qin the seven "warring kingdoms" were united into one state and the classical Chinese language was formed, "RMJM" created a building that would unite all facets of social life.
The congress center with an area of 280,000 sq. m will host press conferences, as well as indoor sports events such as fencing and pistol shooting.
RMJM will also design a hotel and a shopping center on a 12 hectare site nearby.
Since the congress center will be used after 4 weeks of the Olympic Games, the architects paid special attention to the environmental friendliness of the future building. The building will be equipped with natural ventilation and solar panels for heating.
