Recently awarded through and international design competition, the newNingxia International Conference Center will be the premier meeting,exposition, and performance center in central China as the heart of theNingxia master plan development. The building will be an architecturallandmark in the city. Rooted with concepts of local culture, yet conveying astrong Islamic identity, this iconic structure will symbolize the collaborationbetween the two worlds. Inspired by ancient Chinese metaphors and strong Islamic artistic patterns, this center becomes a harmonious merging of both cultures.The design concept is inspired by both Chinese and Arabic cultural elements. The primary concept is the use of the circle and the square. In both cultures, pure geometries have had significant influence throughout history. In China, the ancient coin, for example, is a strong metaphor for harmony between heaven (the circle) and earth (the square). In the Muslim culture, the combination of the circle and the square is called the Mandala motif, and is recognized as the unifying intermediary between the materialism and the spiritual world.
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