MAD-designed 'yabuli entrepreneurs' congress center' nears completion in northeastern china

designed by MAD architects, ‘yabuli entrepreneurs’ congress center’ is nearing completion in the snow-covered mountains of northeastern china. nestled among yabuli’s undulating terrain, the design of the conference venue evokes the concept of a tent sitting at the foot of a mountain, with its soft, curving, silver-white rooftop echoing the snow-capped hills surrounding it.

image by agovision (also main image)

in 2017, MAD was commissioned by the yabuli china entrepreneurs forum (yabuli CEF), one of china’s most influential business organizations, to build a permanent venue for its annual summits. for the past 19 years, CEF’s members have gathered in yabuli every winter to exchange ideas, leading to yabuli being termed ‘the davos of china’. november 18-20, 2020 saw the venue’s opening ceremony and its first event, the yabuli CEF’s 20th annual conference, attended by over 600 entrepreneurs.

image by agovision

during the day, natural light floods the building’s internal spaces through a giant glass skylight. at night, the same skylight allows a warm glow to soar from the building into the cold mountain forest, evoking the image of a campfire around which entrepreneurs share ideas, thoughts, and stories. inside, a blend of wooden walls and natural light creates a warm, soft atmosphere, while an outdoor public plaza and glass walkway allows users to experience the connection between architecture and nature.

image by creatAR images

in addition to its role as a host for large-scale conferences, the venue also contains an exhibition hall, meeting rooms, and a television hall — a variety of mixed-use spaces that can accommodate conferences, corporate training, and other events. the venue is also open to the public, with the exhibition hall serving as a valuable tool for showcasing and exploring chinese entrepreneurship. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

image by agovision

image by archexist

image by agovision

image by agovision

image by agovision

image by archexist

image by archexist

image by archexist

image by archexist

project info:

name: yabuli entrepreneurs’ congress center
location: yabuli, china
dates: 2017-2020
site area: 22,000 sqm
building area: 16,198 sqm
building height: 23.3 m
architect: MAD architects
principal partners in charge: ma yansong, dang qun, yosuke hayano
associate partners in charge: liu huiying, tiffany dahlen
design team: li guangchong, sun shouquan, deng wei, song chi, zhang xiaomei, huai wei, zhao meng, wang shuobin, zhang yanru, yuki ishigami, xiao ying, tian jin
client: china entrepreneur forum
executive architects: china architecture design & research group
façade consultant: RFR shanghai, kighton façade consultant
landscape architects: BJF international design
interior design consultant: shanghai xian dai architectural decoration & landscape design research institute co., ltd.
lighting consultant: brandston partnership inc.
signage consultant: dongdao creative branding group
acoustics consultant: beijing tsinghua tongheng urban planning & design institute
LEED consultant: AECOM beijing