China National Convention Center Phase II by 2Portzamparc: A Monumental Dialogue Between Tradition and Modernity

A New Civic Landmark for Beijing

Completed in 2025, the China National Convention Center Phase II (CNCC II) by 2Portzamparc stands as one of Beijing’s most significant contemporary architectural landmarks. Located at the northern culmination of the city’s historic axis, the project redefines the capital’s skyline through a poetic fusion of symbolism, scale, and technological sophistication. The 418,680-square-meter development integrates exhibition spaces, conference halls, and reception venues designed to host international summits and global events—reflecting China’s growing role on the world stage.

Positioned along the same monumental axis that extends from the Forbidden City through Olympic Park, CNCC II serves as both a functional expansion of the original convention center and a symbolic renewal of the capital’s civic identity. The building’s curved silhouette and dynamic façade, inspired by the motion of birds in flight, embody openness, optimism, and continuity with China’s architectural heritage.

Christian de Portzamparc’s Vision for Beijing’s Northern Axis

For Christian de Portzamparc, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect and founder of 2Portzamparc, CNCC II represents a dialogue between two great cultural capitals—Beijing and Paris. Both cities are defined by their axial urban structure, and Portzamparc’s intervention creates a new “ceremonial gathering place” that bridges solemnity and lightness, monumentality and accessibility.

He explains, “I wanted to create an open place along this ceremonial line—solemn but not heavy, monumental yet never oppressive.” The project introduces a contemporary architectural language that celebrates national identity while embracing transparency, fluidity, and cultural confidence.

Architecture on a Grand Scale: Program and Spatial Organization

The CNCC II spans nearly 400 meters from north to south, making it one of 2Portzamparc’s largest single-building projects. The complex comprises a three-story conference center connected via bridges to seven auxiliary structures, including a luxury hotel, a business hotel, and Grade-A office buildings.

The ground level features a 20,000-square-meter exhibition hall with a 12-meter ceiling, a 3,000-square-meter photo area reaching 26 meters in height, and an 8,000-square-meter main hall accommodating 5,000 attendees. Upper levels house flexible meeting spaces, press halls, and banquet facilities—all oriented along the Olympic axis for panoramic city views.

At its core, CNCC II is designed as a multifunctional civic platform—a space for international diplomacy, cultural exchange, and public gathering.

The Roof: A Contemporary Interpretation of the Flying Eave

The most distinctive feature of CNCC II is its sweeping roofline, a modern reinterpretation of the traditional Chinese flying eave. The design fuses a concave curve with a slanted plane, creating an elegant motion that appears to lift toward the sky. This gesture evokes both invitation and aspiration, capturing the poetic spirit of Chinese architecture.

Portzamparc describes this element as a “philosophy of space”—a contemporary continuation of forms that shade, invite, and gather, merging function with emotion. The structure’s geometry suggests a scroll unfurling, a symbol of openness that reflects the project’s cultural intent.

Façade: The Monument of Flying Birds

Beneath the roof’s elegant curve, the façade transforms into a kinetic surface resembling birds in mid-flight. Composed of enamel-coated steel panels punctured by triangular and diamond-shaped openings, the design balances light, shadow, and movement. The east façade’s large-scale perforations gradually evolve on the north and south sides into parametric curtain walls that filter daylight deep into the interior.

The choice of enamel-coated steel reinforces durability while evoking cultural craftsmanship—a modern material echoing the visual refinement of Chinese porcelain. The result is a façade that feels alive, constantly shifting with the sun, recalling clouds dissolving into mist.

The Ceremonial Entrance: A Grand Gesture of Welcome

The VIP entrance emerges as a dramatic fissure within the curved façade—a monumental gateway defined by a cantilevered canopy that extends 22 meters outward. Beneath it, 8.5-meter-high sliding glass doors open into a soaring 26-meter-high lobby, where droplet-shaped LED lights drift across the ceiling, converging on a full-height digital display.

This interplay of light, movement, and scale transforms the lobby into a symbolic threshold between the city and its international visitors—an architectural performance of welcome and prestige.

Interior Lobbies: Transparency, Ceremony, and Light

Each of the building’s three lobby levels opens eastward toward Beijing’s Olympic axis and the dragon-shaped water system, reinforcing the structure’s urban alignment. The ground floor features column-free glazing that allows visual continuity between interior and landscape, while upper levels introduce elliptical conical columns supporting the structure with both strength and elegance.

The acoustic louvers and ceiling lights mimic flocks of birds in formation, extending the exterior metaphor indoors. This design approach enhances spatial rhythm and processional movement, offering visitors a sense of fluidity and calm.

Rooftop Gardens: A Dialogue Between East and West

At the heart of the third level, under an expansive operable glass roof, lie two symbolic gardens—Su Garden and Xi Garden—representing the traditional and contemporary worlds in harmonious conversation.

These gardens reinterpret classical Chinese landscaping principles through modern geometry and light. The Su Garden embraces shaded intimacy, while the Xi Garden celebrates openness with sunlit pavilions and reflective pools. A stage inspired by ancient Chinese theaters anchors the design, turning the rooftop into a living cultural landscape.

The Lunch Hall, floating over a mirror-like pool, embodies the concept of “round heaven and square earth.” Its flexible partitions and glass enclosure balance ceremonial dignity with adaptable spatial function—ideal for banquets, summits, and exhibitions.

A New Symbol of Cultural Exchange

The China National Convention Center Phase II is more than an architectural achievement—it’s a statement of national identity and international openness. In Portzamparc’s vision, CNCC II is both a vessel of diplomacy and a civic monument, bridging the depth of tradition with the ambition of modernity.

All photographs are works of Yumeng Zhu