After a two-month contest, Vingroup has selected a winner to design its upcoming development project, the National Conference & Exhibition Center in Hanoi's Co Loa area.
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According to REIC, the mammoth company held an award ceremony earlier this month to announce that German architecture firm GMP International had earned the top prize in its search for the best design.
The center, which will cover 300 hectares in the neighborhood just northeast of downtown Hanoi, is an ambitious endeavor, with an expected total exhibition area of 170,000 square meters. GMP's proposal – which beat out nine other international firms – employed a sleek, modern take on Vietnam's trademark lotus, featuring a large conference center as well as eight exhibition areas positioned in a circle to form the open petals of the lotus flower.
In addition to earning a US$50,000 prize, according to the Vingroup site, GMP also impressed the panel of nine architects involved in the judging process.
Its innovative design wasn't the only selling point: the firm also proposed using eco-friendly materials to help reduce cooling costs indoors and made an effort to harmonize the building with its green surroundings.
There's no start date yet for the project, nor even a full confirmation that GMP's design will be used as-is, however the competition marks another advance in the construction of Hanoi's latest large-scale development project.
