Chinese architecture studio AOE has wrapped a conference centre near Jinan, China, in a layer of perforated metal screens.
The Shuifa Geographic Information Industrial Park Exhibition Center sits 12 miles outside of the city of Jinan in east China.
The conference centre has angled outer walls
An inner wall of glass is screened by slanting walls of translucent mesh, which appear solid from a distance and diffuse lights at night.
"The interior of the building is obscured by the white perforated plating," said AOE
"As night falls, light shines through the perforated plates to make the whole building glow, like a piece of shiny marble standing in the wilderness."
White perforated metal forms the facade
Four angular volumes lean towards and away from each other, creating canyon-like entrances. AOE  deliberately wanted the complex to look like stylised rock formations. As one of the first projects to be built in the new Changqing Economic Development Zone, AOE used an introverted design to minimise views over the less-than-inspiring location,
"In order to eliminate the visual impact of the messy surrounding environment, geometrical hills are designed to surround the square, which slowly rises as people enter the site, gradually blocking out the view," said AOE.
A stepped water feature mimics a waterfall
The density of the perforation increases as the floors rise, to match the functions of the rooms inside. Exhibition halls are located on the two ...