The designing award ceremony in Ha Noi on October 3. — VNS Photo

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — German designer GMP International won the first prize in the designing contest for the Viet Nam Exhibition and Fair Centre on October 3, said a representative of Vingroup.

In July, the group, which is an investor in the project, started a designing contest under the theme of exhibition city where they will hold all kinds of exhibition activities, as well as local and international fairs.

The group said that after more than two months, GMP beat over nine competitors including the joint venture between Korean SAMOO Architects & Engineers and the National Institute of Architecture, Hong Kong-based ATKINS, and Japanese Nikken Sekkei, to take the US$50,000 prize.

The design of the centre, which spanned 170,000sq.m is in the shape of a blossoming lotus, and is a symbol of Vietnamese culture. Following the German design, the centre is which located on the Nhat Tan-Noi Bai axis will have a convention and eight exhibition zones.

Chairman of the jury Nguyen Tan Van, who is also chairman of Viet Nam Association of Architects, said one more important issue that made the German company a winner was the sustainability.

A perspective of the future Viet Nam Exhibition and Fair Centre, designed by GMP International. — VNS Image

 All items at the centre are designed in harmony with the landscape of green parks and waterways towards the surrounding area. Materials used in the design are selected on the basis of minimum energy consumption.

The second prize worth $20,000 and third prize worth $10,000 were given to the joint venture between Korean SAMOO Architects & Engineers and the National Institute of Architecture of Viet Nam and Nikken Sekkei Ltd.

The first prize winner will receive priority in negotiations to become a designing consultant for the project, said Vingroup, announcing that the design was officially selected as the architectural planning of the centre.

In late April, the Vingroup bought 89.42 per cent stake in the Viet Nam Exhibition and Fair Centre One Member Co. Ltd. (VEFAC).

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai approved a proposal to build the National Exhibition and Fair Centre spread over an area of 300ha in Co Loa Commune of Ha Noi's Dong Anh District in August.

The location of the centre is expected to meet the requirements of event organisation, traffic and transport of commodities since the Noi Bai International Airport and other key highways ae nearby. — VNS