Convention centers traditionally have been
thought of as chameleon-like shells that can adapt to the needs of
transient tenants. Increasingly, however, new centers are asserting
a strong sense of place and their home cities are reaping the
benefits. The eight buildings profiled here not only are designed
to reflect their surroundings, they are integrated into the fabric
of their communities and stand as proud ambassadors for their
cities.
Colorado Convention Center, Denver
The expanded Colorado Convention Center opened last
December, wrapped in four and a half acres of glass. Fentress
Bradburn Architects purposefully left blank the inside West-facing
wall to allow rich Colorado sunsets to filter through the
translucent exterior and “paint” the wall anew each evening.
According to Curtis Worth Fentress, principal in charge of design
for the architectural firm, the center’s distinctive roofline a
canted slab that cuts into the air like a pointed blade represents
the peaks of the Rocky Mountains as well as the tectonic plates
underground that created the mountain range.
“The convention center has grown to such a size,” adds
Fentress, “it’s redefining the skyline of Denver.”
The facility, with 792,000 square feet of exhibit space, also
is contributing to the Denver arts scene; it was mandated that 1
percent of construction costs had to go toward commissioned
artwork. In June, a 40-foot-tall blue polymer concrete bear was
introduced to the site, peeking through the glass into the
facility.
The center is a cohesive part of its surroundings, linked via
landscaping, pedestrian bridges, urban corridors and light-rail
trains to three colleges, the performing arts complex, a new
housing complex and the Civic District.
David L. Lawrence Convention Center,
Pittsburgh
Opened in September 2003 with an innovative design by Rafael Viñoly
Architects, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Pittsburgh’s
North Shore is the world’s first green convention facility. The
building features a sloping suspension roof inspired by the three
nearby Allegheny River suspension bridges. Punctuated with glass
walls and skylights, the design allows for natural lighting in 75
percent of the facility. Also key for planners: more than 230,000
square feet of column-free exhibit space.
Thanks to its position along the river, the center uses natural
ventilation and water-reclamation systems, among other
environmentally friendly features. “Some people still subscribe to
the traditional idea that the box is all you need,” says Robert
Imperata, executive vice president of the Greater Pittsburgh
Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We were of the opinion that we
needed to showcase our forward thinking.”
Building green is a definite trend in Pittsburgh. The city has
28 energy-efficient and environment-friendly projects completed or
in the works, of which the convention center is the largest.
Imperata hopes the facility will help to dispel the outdated image
of Pittsburgh as less than green, due to its industrial past.
Hawaii Convention Center, Honolulu
If the Colorado Convention Center’s glass walls are intended to let
the surrounding environment permeate the building, the Hawaii
Convention Center takes the idea one step further, blurring the
distinction between inside and out.
“The back half of the building, which has an ocean view, is
totally wide open,” says Mike Polovcin, director of operations at
the facility. Steel “trees,” interspersed with real palms and other
vegetation, support the center’s roof in the absence of walls.
Trade winds circulate through the corridors and serve as natural
air conditioning.
The seven-year-old, $350 million facility has a 70-foot
waterfall in the lobby, a two-and-a-half-acre rooftop garden with
ponds and tropical flowers, and a roof that mimics the sails of the
canoes that brought the first settlers to the island chain.
Essentially, the center appears as a freestanding roof hovering
over a lush Hawaiian landscape.
In addition to more than 239,000 square feet of exhibit space,
the facility houses a $2 million art collection that depicts the
history, culture, geology and philosophies of the Hawaiian
people.
Knoxville (Tenn.) Convention
Center
The natural beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains and the nearby
Tennessee River informed the design of the Knoxville Convention
Center, which rises like a cathedral of glass, steel, brick, and
pink and grey Tennessee marble.
Opened in 2002 adjacent to World’s Fair Park, site of the 1982
World’s Fair, the facility’s entrance leads visitors to a stairway
bordered by a flowing stream; inside, cherry wood and misty blue
hues reflect the surrounding terrain. The southeastern rotunda was
designed to complement the Sunsphere tower built for the World’s
Fair, one of Knoxville’s signature architectural features. “It
raised the bar for design in this area,” says Sue Eaton, the
center’s assistant general manager. The building was the brainchild
of Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback and Associates of Atlanta, and
McCarty Holsaple McCarty Inc. of Knoxville.
With 120,000 square feet of exhibit space, the facility also
displays works by local artists, including a 38-foot-tall tile
mosaic of Tennessee’s Ramsey Cascades.
Palm Springs (Calif.) Convention
Center
A $34 million desert-inspired renovation and expansion of the Palm
Springs Convention Center, which wraps up next month, has equipped
the 17-year-old facility with a bold new image. Fentress Bradburn
Architects designed massive, angular rock pylons to support the
undulating roof, which mirrors the nearby San Jacinto Mountains;
huge palm trees dot the perimeter. Inside, ceilings are etched with
dark lines that connote windswept sand, carpet patterns resemble
cracked stone after a heavy rain, and a new 20,000-square-foot
ballroom sports a wavy, painted “cloud ceiling,” which varies in
height by more than 40 feet across the room.
Architect Curtis Worth Fentress says the builders used
indigenous flat rock and other local materials in the center’s
reconstruction. The expansion also is adding shaded outdoor event
spaces inspired by the nearby Indian Canyon Oasis.
The renovation furthers efforts to make the facility an
extension of Palm Springs and inspire a sense of civic pride. The
main entrance, which formerly faced east, now faces the village to
the west, and attendees can walk through landscaped pathways to
nearby hotels.
Pennsylvania Convention Center,
Philadelphia
Few facilities evoke a colorful bygone era as effectively as the
Pennsylvania Convention Center, opened in 1993 inside the historic
Pennsylvania Terminal Trainshed and just yards away from City Hall.
Details relating to the golden age of train travel abound: The
stainless-steel strips running along the floor of the main exhibit
hall mark where the Reading Railroad cars used to wheel into the
station. Directly above sits the oldest surviving single-span
arched trainshed roof in the world. The nearby Reading Terminal
Market, which dates from 1632, stands resurrected and in
business.
The building has been a vital part of the ongoing renaissance
of downtown Philadelphia, says Jack Ferguson, vice president of the
convention division at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors
Bureau. New restaurants, hotels and cultural venues have sprung up
in the area, and “there are a lot of cranes in the sky right now,”
he notes.
The center now is embarking upon a $680 million expansion that
will nearly double exhibit space to 600,000 square feet by
mid-2009.
San Diego Convention Center
The Sails Pavilion, a glass-enclosed, 90,000-square-foot trade-show
space with sails for a ceiling, is the focal point of this
nautical-themed convention center. Set on 13 acres along San Diego
Bay, the center doubled in size following a $216 million renovation
in 2001, designed by Tucker, Sadler and Associates of San Diego and
Boston-based HNTB Corp. The new building is an abstraction of a
cruise ship, with cylindrical glass protrusions lining the exterior
like bulging rows of lifeboats. The abundance of glass walls in the
facility lend water views or panoramic downtown cityscapes from
almost anywhere in the building.
With 615,000 square feet of exhibit space, the center also
serves as a vital link between downtown San Diego and the bay. A
grand staircase and skywalk rises over the building and descends to
the water on the other side. “All coastal communities in California
are very focused on access to the waterfront,” says Fred Sainz, the
center’s vice president for public affairs. “This is our way of
providing that.”
The center also features three acres of parkland that often is
used for conventions but also is open to residents. “I see people
out there walking their dogs all the time,” Sainz says.
Washington State Convention & Trade Center,
Seattle
Opened in 1988, this facility helped pioneer the concept of
convention centers housing public art galleries. The four-story
galleria has a permanent collection of works primarily by Northwest
artists. Since 1991, it has hosted more than 110 exhibitions all
free to the public.
The facility also hosts free lectures, concerts and artist
receptions, and serves as a pedestrian bridge between the heart of
downtown Seattle and the First Hill neighborhood, which for years
had been separated by an entrenched highway. The building and
grounds, including several acres of public parkland, were built to
span the interstate, linking the two neighborhoods.
“Because of its location, it’s a vital part of the city, part
of the culture,” notes Donald Welsh, president and CEO of the
Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau.