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Despite India’s sustained levels of growth and immense economic potential, the exhibition industry has not grown in tandem with the economic expansion and urban development in the Capital city. A need was felt to provide a space which could be a common ground for interaction between Indian businesses, investors and buyers to catalyse existing economic activities in the country. To exhibit India’s growth and achievements at an international level, the India International Convention Centre has been conceived as a smart and efficient mixed-use urban development which would help support the country’s GDP growth in the long haul. The concept has been curated as a successful juxtaposition between varied nature of developments such as exhibition, convention, retail, hospitality, offices, museum and many more, are designed to cater to the indigenous as well as the international exhibitors.
- State-of-the-art Convention Centre is Asia’s 2nd largest and the 3rd largest in the world with a capacity to host 10,000 people at once, designed to host the G20 Summit
- A 20,000 seater one-of-its-kind, world-class Indoor Arena with a retractable roof which would be built in India for the first time
- Formulated as per the Green building principles and IGBC Platinum rating standards
Design Concept
Envisaged at the scale of a Central Business District (CBD), the design of this massive project pays close attention to creating connections with Indian culture and tradition while aiming to embody the ambitions of a forward looking nation through a contemporary interpretation of Indian planning principles and architecture. Multiple accesses to this complex create a porosity and permeability to the urban context, thereby integrating it to its vicinity.
The state-of-the-art Convention Centre is Asia’s 2nd largest and the 3rd largest in the world with a capacity to host 10,000 people at once, designed to host the G20 Summit and other such mega International events in India along with international conferences, exhibitions and trade shows. With a site area of 225 acres, the project also boasts of mixed land use such as retail, commercial spaces and 3700 hotel rooms as well as a 20,000 seater one-of-its-kind, world-class Indoor Arena with a retractable roof which would be built in India for the first time.
Not only is the scale of the project vast, but also the parameters with which the design is being tailored are innovative and futuristic. Green building principles and IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) Platinum rating standards are being used as a benchmark for designing of the same. IDOM, Spain is the master planner and co-designer for the project.
Urban Design
The project has been strategically located adjacent to the International Airport and at the cross roads of Gurgaon and Delhi. A major Transportation Hub has been created in the heart of the site which offers great public connectivity. The Government hopes that the mega-scale urban project in the capital city will act as a catalyst for industrial growth in the country and catapults India as a global MICE destination.
The building envelopes are designed to communicate an image of contemporaneity inspired by tradition. A thoughtful skin system is proposed to achieve sustainability, as well as synthesizing each facet of the project, such as materiality, constructability and budget. It is mainly focused on performance and constructive optimization. All façades are proposed to be layered in two orders. The first one, will be a regular system, attending to all static conditions and other is the structural system, which will be optimized to be integrated as the building structure.
The mobility at a micro level has been kept hassle-free with a car free zone, pedestrian walkways and availability of electric transport. The pedestrians are provided with shades and views through the green boulevards and semi-open spaces which not only encourage user interaction whilst providing naturally inspired recreational spaces as well. Water features run parallel to the green landscape, complementing the design and breaking the monotony of the static hardscape and also influencing the micro-climate of the area.
International architectural features
The Convention Centre fronts the site at the northern end. The Exhibition Centre is a collection of a sequence of 5 exhibition halls, fronted by a large arched lobby. The roof is shaped into a series of leaning arches, fusing a mix of contemporary design with ethnic sensibilities which changes with movement of the observer. The arches also provide spaces for skylights, penetrating natural daylight inside the halls. One of the most talked about design feature includes crowning of the Convention Centre with, what is poised to be the World’s largest, LED Video Wall. The video wall is specially engineered for the project. LEDs will be accessible from behind, and grating catwalks would be provided for ease of maintenance.
Adding to the long list of features designed as per the international standards, the Exhibition Hall has a 4,200 seater auditorium, which is furnished with retractable seats and stage area and can serve as a multipurpose hall when the requirement arises. The façades of the halls would be a combination of 3D and flat GRC panels, which would serve as a responsive system towards thermal control, structural energy and acoustic regulations.
The sustainable approach in design thinking also reflects through an effort to recycle and reuse waste being generated at the site and effectively managing solid waste produced through a comprehensive management plan. The design utilises abundant solar energy through power and water heating systems.
Promoting Indian architectural sensibilities
The design is a representation of an integration between traditional architectural elements like jaalis, stepped wells, green open spaces, a lotus motif embossed on the retractable roof of the Indoor Arena, to name a few, projected with a contemporary outlook through forms and spaces at the site. Walkability, has been kept at the core of landscape design with paths lined with local plant species, creating green boulevards and courtyards wherever possible, shading areas with colonnades and canopies, keeping in mind a universal accessibility for users. Facades have been designed intelligently so as to regulate diffused sunlight in public areas. Water bodies throughout the site help passively cool the environment while complimenting the green spaces. The design and materials for the pavement are conceptualised to make percolation of water possible idea is the push for methods which can help in stabilizing the, otherwise, parched water table of the region.
The project is a futuristic development model to catapult India as a fore-runner in sustainable design practices while also providing an arena to display its spectacular innovation and engineering skills. The project, with its revolutionary ideas, is being touted as a fine example of development of a mini-cityscape thriving as an urban biodiversity in the midst of a concrete jungle.
The design has been formulated as per the Green building principles and IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) Platinum rating standards and the first phase of the project is expected to be complete by 2021.
Fact File
Location: Sector 25, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
Size of the project: 225 Acres
Built up: 1, 22, 00, 000 sq. ft.
Year of completion: 2023
Phase 1 completion: December 2021
Phase 2 Completion: 2025
