11 FOR 22 | DALIAN WORLD EXPO CENTRE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Project | Dalian World Expo Center

Importance | NDA’s first built project in China

Project Aim | Create a pioneering city icon catalysing Dalian’s growth

NDA and Dalian city together dared to dream of a landmark that not only catalyzed the growth of the city but also lit a beacon signaling to the world that sustainable development is the future.

Gigantic, light, and bright, the NDA-designed Dalian World Expo Center is exactly what China needed at the right place at the right time. Built in 2005 when the world was still getting to know China, this future super economy was opening its doors and promoting marriage of economic growth and environmentalism.

So forward-thinking was the idea of the Dalian World Expo Centre that in 2001 we won the International Design Competition Prize with the bold proposal of creating a landmark that channels our core values of sustainability and innovation.

Catalysing Green Development

When we conceptualise projects we always consider the impacts our design has on the city, people and place. With sustainable development in mind and knowing the Centre would set the standard for how Dalian’s new CBD would develop, we implemented a groundwater heat pump, the use of which was unprecedented in China at the time.

Though we had been using similar sustainable tech in our Lyon office since 1992, the idea of it was quite radical to the wider world back in 2001. The effects were immediate, with a massive 30% reduction in energy usage, and a huge leap in operational efficiency.

It is this strategic level decision-making that sets NDA apart, and that singular decision to use sustainable tech has brought long-term benefits to Dalian including giving corporates like Dalian BingShan Group new business opportunities to use that technology. It has also contributed to Dalian’s reputation as one of China’s greenest cities - this sustainable facet of the city is so well known that it is mentioned in Pullitzer Prize winning journalist Thomas Friedman's best-selling book "The World Is Flat".

Design

With the starting concept of a ‘Bejewelled Light box’, we intertwined a sleek modern geometric design with a Chinese architectural play on the light where the design adapts to the light and time.

During the day this huge glasshouse with its sheer glass façade symbolises transparency in growth and business.

Make it stand out

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

At night the Centre takes on a new dimension out a mix of reds representing prosperity, and soft blue-greens echoing the sea that this city was built on.

Summer Davos Summit

The Summer Davos focuses on the ‘New Champions’ where rising economies and companies engage with each other, and Dalian hosts it every other year.

The 2009 summit saw 1300 policy-makers and business leaders from around the world hold discussions on sustainability trends and green economics to make life better for billions of people across the world.

Perfect then, that the Summer Davos 2009 was held at Dalian World Expo Centre, the New Champion of Dalian.