The first phase of the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin) will usher in its first exhibition, the China Building Science Conference and Green Intelligent Building Expo, on June 24.

This four-day expo will gather leading providers and players across the entire chain of the building industry, exhibiting new products, materials, and applications in the field. It is estimated that more than 500 exhibiting companies and 150,000 visitors will attend.

A special highlight area will be launched to showcase the latest design and innovations in Hall S15. It will focus on and creatively display the most-updated achievements of architectural design art and technology in the construction industry.

With a total investment of 18 billion yuan ($2.79 billion), the 1.38 million square meter center in Tianjin's Jinnan district will eventually cover a total indoor and outdoor exhibition space of 550,000 sq m, according to Wang Yanhua, vice-general manager of National Convention & Exhibition Center (Tianjin) Co.

The center will be one of the largest in the world, and will be the third State-level modern pavilion for the Ministry of Commerce for staging exhibitions, joining venues for the Canton Fair in Guangzhou and the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

Other expos, including an international auto show, a furniture show and the China International Industry Expo 2022 are in the pipeline for the second half of 2022.

In addition, the high-investment project is pivotal to integrating Tianjin's Jinnan district into the city's wider plan of becoming an international and internal consumption and business center as outlined in its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), said district director Deng Guanghua.

"The fresh new expo center will be unique among the country's existing expo centers because it will be a mainstay of the city's ecological protection campaign," he added.