Contemporary Convention Centers - Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

ulx
Ron
Nyren
Outside the Box: Contemporary Convention Centers
Ten recent convention centers
provide models for integrating
these massive facilities into the
urban fabric that surrounds them.
Back in 1989, New York Times
architecture critic Paul Goldberger
lamented the uninspired architecture
and blank, bulky, windowless
street presence of most convention
centers, likening them to “a
beached whale on a city street—
enormous, inert, and totally out of
place.” Since then, with competition
for the convention market
intensifying among cities, the
design of the typical facility has
improved significantly.
The best examples capture
something distinctive about the
city they inhabit, using contemporary
architecture to convey the
essence of place so that out-oftown
visitors feel they have arrived
someplace unique, rather than
simply being shuttled from an
anonymous airport to an anonymous
meeting facility. These newer
convention centers have sculptural
forms, eschewing the old “box
with docks” model. They also pay
attention to the experience at the
pedestrian level, exposing activities
within and offering street-friendly
facades and landscaping. Inside,
they bring in plenty of natural light
and take advantage of views to the
city, while relying on sustainable
design strategies to mitigate the
vast energy and resource drain that
massive buildings entail.
Ron Nyren is a freelance architecture and urban
design writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
1. Arena and Convention Centre
Liverpool, United Kingdom
To give a low profile to Liverpool’s Arena and Convention Centre, which
opened last year as the centerpiece of the King’s Waterfront regeneration
along the Mersey River, London-based Wilkinson Eyre Architects
sunk the entire complex 9.8 feet (3 m) below ground level, preserving
views to cathedrals behind.
The facility consists of two horseshoe-shaped forms, one housing the
conference and exhibition center, the other a 10,000-seat arena, with a
glazed galleria in between. The facade reads as three bands: the metal
rainscreen of the roof edge, a middle layer of patterned translucent
glazing, and clear glazing along the ground level, which puts the public
circulation area on display and affords river views.
Intended to generate half the carbon dioxide emissions of a conventional
building, the design incorporates natural ventilation, heat recovery
systems, heat pumps, and five on-site wind turbines that generate about
10 percent of electricity needs. The facility includes a 1,500-seat auditorium
and an 81,806-square-foot (7,600-sq-m) exhibition facility.
©English Partnerships Mills Media/Ian Lawson
© Tim Soar
36 Urban LaND February 2009

2. Badajoz Congress Center
Badajoz, Spain
In the city of Badajoz in the region of Extremadura, Spain, Madrid-based architecture
firm selgascano not only had to fit a 180,000-square-foot (16,722-sq-m) congress
center into a city well over 1,000 years old, but also had to contend with an unusual
site: it previously housed a bullfighting ring dating back to the 19th century, built
within the pentagonal walls of an even older fortress. Respecting the layers of history,
the congress center follows the ring’s footprint, with a circular drum containing a
1,000-seat auditorium, largely underground and daylit by a dramatic oculus.
Ringing that structure is a lattice of translucent tubes marking the grandstands that
once occupied the site. The circulation path between lattice and drum serves as a
plaza. A smaller auditorium, meeting spaces, and a café are also underground, radiating
outward from the auditorium to the fortress walls. Protected by a curvilinear red
canopy, a staircase leads down from the public square at the building’s front to the
main entrance. The facility opened in 2006.
3. Duke Energy Center
Cincinnati, Ohio
The renovation and expansion of the Cincinnati Convention Center, renamed the Duke
Energy Center, not only enlarged the facility’s capacity when it opened in 2006, but also
put the city’s name in lights. Located at a primary entry point to downtown, the two-block
expansion incorporates a facade with white metal panels set at angles within a threedimensional,
320-foot-long (97.5-m-long) steel grid; the panels spell out the city’s name in
50-foot-high (15.2-m-high) letters, easily visible from the interstate highway, especially when
illuminated at night. Up close, the composition appears as an abstract kinetic sculpture.
The design, by Seattle-based LMN Architects, includes 220,000 square feet (20,439
sq m) of expansion and 550,000 square feet (51,097 sq m) of renovation; new openings
and public spaces along the existing south facade improve the facility’s connection to the
urban context. At the western edge, extensive glazing reveals activities in new circulation
areas and lobbies to passersby, while providing views to the downtown skyline and the
Ohio River. A three-story, two-block-long graphic wall along the main concourse displays
a collage of water and bridge images.
J. Miles Wolf / Wolf Photographic Arts Roland Halbe
William Long/Longshots Photography
4. Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia
The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre adds a major convention
and event facility to Broadbeach’s tourism district, a short distance
from the beach. The mass of the facility—designed by Peter Hunt Architects
of Sydney—is minimized by means of its curving, segmented roof,
which slopes downward on all sides to create a pedestrian-scaled environment
along the exterior.
In tandem with steel and fabric sunshades, the lightly colored roof and
long eaves reduce solar heat gain, keeping the building cool during hot
summers. Accommodating up to 3,500 conventioneers, the facility opened
in 2004 and is owned by the Queensland state government; Tabcorp, the
Melbourne-based gambling and entertainment company that owns the
nearby Conrad Jupiters Hotel and Casino, built the facility and manages it.
An 885.6-foot-long (270-m-long) covered walkway connects the convention
center to the Jupiters, while a monorail links to nearby hotels, shops,
and restaurants. The 6,000-seat tiered arena can be integrated with the
exhibition hall to create a 75,347-square-foot (7,000-sq-m) space.
February 2009 Urban LanD 37

ulx
5. Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center
Guangzhou, China
A highway cut off Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province
in southern China, from the nature preserve at the foot of
the Baiyun Mountains. A massive new convention center at the
border of the two, on a site that once housed an airport and
an amusement park, might have exacerbated the situation.
Instead, Roeselare, Belgium–based architecture firm BURO II
achieved the opposite.
The design configured the convention center into five sloping
volumes, with landscaped “fingers” running between each
building and linking to four bridges that cross the highway and
reconnect the preserve to the city. Fragmenting the structures
breaks down the facility’s scale and maintains views to the
mountains. Extensive glazing on the south facades, protected
by sunshades, maximizes natural light. Completed in 2007,
the 3.2 million-square-foot (300,000-sq-m) convention center
includes three buildings with meeting and exhibition facilities
as well as auditoriums for 2,500, 1,000, and 500 people; the
structures at each end are hotels with a total of 1,100 rooms.
6. Magma Art and Congress Events Centre
Adeje, Tenerife, Spain
The Magma Art and Congress Events Centre occupies a hill in
Adeje, one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations on the
island of Tenerife. Santa Cruz de Tenerife–based architects
Fernando Martin Menis, Felipe Artengo Rufino, and José María
Rodríguez Pastrana drew on the island’s volcanic landscape
in designing the building, giving it a forceful presence along a
busy highway.
Completed in 2005, the 240,000-square-foot (22,297-sq-m) edifice
comprises 13 geometrical shapes that rise from the base and
include secondary spaces such as offices, a cafeteria, and rest-
Magma Art & Congress Events Centre
Philippe Van Gelooven
Philippe Van Gelooven
rooms. The undulating roof, made of white fiber-cement panels,
contains “cracks” that let in daylight. Built substantially from
concrete with local volcanic stone mixed in, the facility contains a
30,000-square-foot (2,787-sq-m) column-free main hall that can
hold up to 2,500 people or be divided into nine small conference
rooms. With raked seating (i.e., a seating area that is sloped so
each person can see over the head of the person sitting in front)
on movable platforms, the hall can host cultural events on its
3,229-square-foot (300-sq-m) stage, which is equipped with a fly
tower. The upper floor can also be subdivided into smaller rooms.
38 Urban LaND February 2009

7. Palm Springs Convention Center
Palm Springs, California
A number of conventions were outgrowing Palm Springs’ original
convention center, erected in 1998, so the city brought in Fentress
Architects of Denver, Colorado, to design an expansion that would
nearly double the square footage and transform the boxy building.
Completed in 2005, the 261,000-square-foot (24,248-sq-m) Palm
Springs Convention Center now reflects the area’s mountainous and
desert landscapes. The undulating roofline recalls the city’s backdrop
of mountains; stonework evokes nearby rock formations; the
diamond pattern of the facade’s copper shingles suggests palm tree
bark. The ballroom’s 40-foot-long (12.2-m-long) glass doors open onto
an outdoor space modeled on a desert oasis.
The design relocated the main entry from the eastern to the
western side, strengthening pedestrian connections to downtown
four blocks away and reorienting the building to take advantage of
mountain views—enhanced by the lobby’s floor-to-ceiling window.
To preserve those views, the city has subleased a 1.77-acre (0.72-
ha) vacant parcel across the street and is planning to turn it into a
main entry plaza for the convention center.
Brian Gassel/tvsdesign
Nick Merrick/©Hedrich Blessing Nick Merrick/©Hedrich Blessing
8. Puerto Rico Convention Center
San Juan, Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rico Convention Center opened in 2005 as the first and central
piece of the redevelopment of a naval base into a convention and tourism
district. The 580,000-square-foot (53,884-sq-m) convention center’s steel
and glass roof takes the form of a wave—a nod to the surrounding sea—
and shades a large, landscaped outdoor plaza.
The roof’s glass skylight lets natural light flood the prefunction areas, as
does the 13-story glass curtain wall at the entrance. The 40,000-square-foot
(3,716-sq-m) ballroom is placed on the top floor, with an open terrace giving
views to the ocean. The building incorporates materials such as stucco
and wood chosen to recall architectural elements of Old San Juan. Atlanta,
Georgia–based tvsdesign led the design and programming and San Juan–
based Jimenez + Rodriguez Barcelo served as architect of record.
The 113-acre (45.73-ha) district on San Juan’s Isla Grande peninsula
will ultimately include hotels, residential and office buildings, restaurants,
waterfront cafés, and retail and entertainment uses. The first
hotel, with 500 rooms, is slated to open in the fall.
February 2009 Urban LanD 39

ulx
9. Qwest Center
Omaha, Nebraska
When planning the redevelopment of a Union Pacific rail shop
site on the Missouri River, the city of Omaha weighed the merits
of building a sports arena versus a convention center—and ultimately
chose both. Designed by DLR Group of Omaha, Nebraska,
and completed in 2003, the facility includes 1,118,000 square
feet (103,866 sq m) of exhibition, ballroom, meeting, and support
space with an arena seating up to 18,300 for sporting events and
concerts. A 30,000-square-foot (2,787-sq-m) swing space can be
opened up to the arena, the convention center, or both.
The swooping, winglike roof—appropriate for a facility located
only three miles (4.8 km) from the airport—includes a cantilevered
overhang to mark the ten-story arena and give the center
a presence on the city skyline, while a glass curtain wall runs
the length of the structure’s front, exposing activities within the
exhibit hall lobby and prefunction spaces. The building is credited
with helping spark revitalization efforts along the riverfront.
Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority
10. Virginia Beach Convention Center
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Long known as a vacation beach getaway, Virginia Beach is seeking
to shake up its reputation and rebrand itself as a year-round destination.
The Virginia Beach Convention Center, opened in phases
in 2005 and 2007, is a key part of that effort. Chicago’s Skidmore,
Owings & Merrill designed the 516,522-square-foot (47,986-sq-m)
facility to evoke nautical imagery: the steel-framed glass curtain wall
at the building’s front recalls a sail billowing in the wind, while the
observation tower abstractly reinterprets the 18th-century lighthouse
featured in the city’s seal.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP/James Steinkamp/©Steinkamp Photography
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP/James Steinkamp/©Steinkamp Photography
The roof, one of the biggest column-free spans in the United States,
covers a 150,000-square-foot (13,935-sq-m) column-free exhibit hall and
29,000 square feet (2,694 sq m) of meeting space. Sustainable strategies
include natural daylight, ceramic fritted glass to minimize solar heat gain,
paints that emit low levels of volatile organic compounds, automated rooftop
vents to exhaust heat buildup, stormwater retention, and motion and
light sensors to turn artificial lighting on and off. Video displays on four
walls totaling 360 feet (109.7 m) in length show video installations by
contemporary video artists. UL
40 Urban LaND February 2009