The new main congress center of the Peruvian capital was built for a significant event: the annual meeting of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which chose Lima as the meeting place. The government of the country, having updated the "conference infrastructure" for this, considered that the new congress center would be a kind of message to the world business community: Peru and its capital is a suitable place for new projects.
The building with a total area of 86,000 m2 is located next to other major structures of the "Cultural Center of the Nation" - the National Museum, the Ministries of Education and Culture, the National Bank, and the archaeological zone "Huaca São Borja". Despite the importance of this ensemble, so far the area around is not very pleasant for pedestrians, and it is assumed that after the opening of the new congress center, it will be reconstructed, and Comercio Street, where all these objects are directed, will turn into the Boulevard of Culture. The quality of the public areas is enhanced by the openness of the new congress center to citizens on the ground floor level. For the facades of the building, glass, glass fiber reinforced concrete panels and metal were chosen, which connects it with the environment.
The congress center is made up of three "layers" referring to different periods in the history of Peru. The present is symbolized by two transforming halls with an area of about 1800 m2 - "Rooms of the Nation", which can be completely opened to the outside; the result will be a covered "plaza" with an area of over 2,500 m2. The past is the open-air Lima Lounge, inspired by the pre-Columbian sacred huaca sites. Its configuration is determined by the location and size of the conference rooms. The glazed volume located at the top is a hall of 3500 m2, called the "International Room of Nations".
In total, there are 18 multifunctional conference rooms in the center, and their sizes vary from 100 to 3500 m2. In total, up to 10,000 people can attend events in the building at the same time. Many halls, such as the “Rooms of the Nation” mentioned above, can be transformed by removing or building partitions from acoustic panels. The complex also has 4 floors of underground parking, exhibition halls, cafes and canteens, recreation areas and a variety of administrative and technical premises.
The architects adhered to a 1/3 ratio between the public areas and the area of the halls, which ensures the efficient functioning of the center. The same goal is served by the generous distribution of the area in each room - 1.5 m2 per person - which made it easy to place there not only rows of chairs, but also space for coffee breaks and relaxation.
In the interest of efficiency and fire safety, elevators and escalators are located separately from the stairs, and the stairs also serve as a leisurely movement through the building - from them you can admire the views of Lima, and not from one side, but through any of the four facades.
A special problem was presented by the upper tier of the building, the mentioned hall without supports "International Room of Nations" with an area of 5,400 m2: the construction of such a room under a roof in an earthquake-prone region was not an easy task, in addition, it was necessary to think over the "delivery" of 3,500 spectators to the hall and "evacuation" of them from there … This top floor solution gave rise to a flat roof with an area of 9000 m2, the “fifth façade”, clearly visible from the neighboring tower of the National Bank; for this reason, the ventilation equipment is not located there, but on the eastern façade.
