The Zhongguancun International Innovation Center, formerly known as the “Zhongguancun Forum Permanent Venue,” has been completed and is now operational. This landmark project was designed by MAD Architecture Firm in Beijing.
Since 2007, the Zhongguancun Forum has embraced the theme of “Innovation and Development,” annually bringing together scientists, entrepreneurs, and emerging innovators from around the world to exchange ideas and discuss innovation. Over more than a decade, it has evolved into a prestigious global platform for scientific and technological innovation and a national hub for high-tech exchange and cooperation.
The Innovation Center is situated in the heart of Zhongguancun in Haidian District, adjacent to landmarks such as Yuquan Mountain, the Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan, Peking University, and Tsinghua University. Located at the intersection of Beijing’s historic “Three Mountains and Five Gardens” cultural area and the core of Zhongguancun Science City, the site covers approximately 59,000 square meters. With a height limit of 12 meters, the building spans about 65,000 square meters of construction area, including a green roof of roughly 17,000 square meters that gently rests on the ground like a vibrant leaf.
The building extends slowly from north to south, seamlessly integrating with the city. From the distant Three Mountains toward the site, the structure remains discreetly hidden, while the green roof blends naturally with the surrounding gardens and mountains. This subtle design creates a green extension within the urban environment, providing a rare landscape feature in the city.
From the city-facing perspective, the building’s transparent glass curtain wall rises and falls along the architectural form, serving as a dynamic urban facade. The curtain wall features a concealed vertical and horizontal framing system, using ultra-white semi-tempered glass panels that open the connection between the building interior and cityscape, enhancing visual interaction between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Below the cantilevered roof lies a welcoming urban grey space, offering shade and shelter while creating a smooth transition between indoor and outdoor environments.
The roof features 2,769 fluorocarbon-sprayed hyperbolic honeycomb aluminum panels, each uniquely shaped and curved, arranged on an irregular steel structure from the ground up. These dense silver-white louvers conceal the structure while collecting rainwater efficiently. At night, hidden lights between the louvers align with the roof’s flow, creating a harmonious balance of movement and stillness. This lighting design mirrors the continuous traffic flow on nearby main roads, adding vibrancy and energy to the cityscape.
A flowing waterfall feature in the southeast corner separates the busy city from the site, establishing a serene and organic atmosphere.
MAD’s design emphasizes a minimalist and pure indoor environment to foster the energy inspired by innovation. The interior hall includes two large ETEF membrane skylights that allow natural sunlight to permeate, creating a bright and open space.
The lighting design innovatively features adjustable color temperature fixtures that move rhythmically along the building’s structure. Lights converge on the central atrium, creating a dynamic technological ambiance and serving as an ornamental spatial installation.
The functional spaces are organized in a zigzag layout. The first floor houses the main venue, banquet hall, and multifunctional hall, ideal for hosting events. The basement includes smaller meeting rooms and VIP lounges to accommodate gatherings of various sizes and privacy needs.
Besides its conference functions, the center’s cantilevered roof, outdoor planning, and landscape design have created generous urban public spaces that connect people to nature. An ancient tree on the northeast side has been preserved and integrated into a sunken stairway courtyard centered around it. The corridor beneath the eaves on the northeast side offers a quiet viewing spot amidst the city’s bustle. Sunken courtyards at the southeast and southwest corners connect to the building’s basement level, further enhancing the connection to outdoor spaces.
The ventilation system is cleverly concealed beneath the concrete “veins” of the ceiling and green roof, giving the building a clean and cohesive appearance. The roof is covered with lightweight soil and low-maintenance vegetation, meeting load requirements while enhancing landscape quality and reducing maintenance costs. Additionally, the center incorporates renewable energy technologies such as solar photovoltaics and ground source heat pumps, along with carbon-reducing electromechanical systems, to create zero-energy conference rooms. It is estimated that the building’s carbon emission intensity is reduced by over 50% compared to typical public buildings.
Design work for the Zhongguancun International Innovation Center began in 2020, with construction commencing in August 2022. The 14th Zhongguancun Forum Annual Meeting is scheduled to take place at the center from April 25 to 29, 2024.
The center aims to establish a multifaceted role: technologically, it showcases the site’s innovative spirit through an open and imaginative spatial environment; culturally, it respectfully responds to the venue’s unique historical and natural context; environmentally, it creates a new type of urban public space that is accessible and enjoyable for both the city and its communities.
Project Drawings
△ Analysis Chart
△ General Layout Plan
△ Exploded Diagram
Project Information
Project Name: Zhongguancun International Innovation Center (formerly the “Zhongguancun Forum Permanent Venue”)
Location: Beijing, China
Duration: 2020–2024
Type: Conference Center
Site Area: 59,099 square meters
Building Area: 64,998 square meters (above ground: 20,000 sqm; underground: 44,998 sqm)
Lead Partners: Ma Yansong, Party Masses, Yokosuke Hayano
Vice Partners in Charge: Fu Changrui, Li Jian
Design Team: Zhou Rui, Zhuang Fan, Hu Jinchang, Liu Yiqing, Xue Yawen, Yang Xuebing, Edgar Navarrete, Zheng Chengwen, Wang Shuobin, Wu Qiaoling, Alan Rodriguez Carrillo
Owner: Zhongjie (Beijing) Development and Construction Co., Ltd.
Architectural Design: MAD Architecture Firm
Engineering Design General Contractor: Beijing Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. | First Architectural Design Institute
Curtain Wall Consultant: Yinghaite Engineering Consulting (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
Interior Design: MAD Architecture Firm, Beijing Jianyuan Decoration Engineering Design Co., Ltd.
Landscape Design: MAD Architecture Firm, Guangzhou Shanshui Bide Design Co., Ltd.
Lighting Consultant: Dongliang International Lighting Design (Beijing) Center Co., Ltd.
Indoor Lighting Consultant: Beijing Taifu Guangda Lighting Design Co., Ltd.
Identification Consultant: Beijing Tushi Space Creative Co., Ltd.
Audio and Video Consultant: China Radio and Television Broadcasting, Film and Television Design and Research Institute
Photography: Existence of Architecture CreatAR Images, Zhu Yumeng, ChillShine, Qiu Wensanying
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