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Type Casting: Adapting Convention Centers One City at a Time

By Ben Ikenson

The July-August 2012 issue of Eco-Structure Magazine explores how cities are investing in updating and expanding their convention centers, weaving them into the fabric of the community in more meaningful and sustainable ways. Read the article.

View the slideshow below to see how convention centers are dialing up on local flavor as they expand their sustainable features.

AIA-Slideshow

Vancouver

“Whether they’re made by God or by man, destinations sell their features, and the current generation of convention centers is capitalizing on this idea,” says Doug Ducate, president of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research. “But if you can’t afford to really showcase your unique assets, what’s the point? The McDonald’s in San Francisco tastes the same as the one in Omaha.” Vancouver’s Convention Centre (pictured) now tops 466,000 square feet after the completion of the West Building in 2009 and also includes a cruise ship terminal and hotel.

Paxton’s Crystal Palace

An evolved design approach that better connects convention centers with locals will also better connect event attendees to locales. Ducate says cities need to consider this when deciding the fate of their own facilities. Landscape architect and engineer Joseph Paxton’s cast iron and glass Crystal Palace for the London Exposition of 1851 drew from Victorian greenhouse designs in Britain. While initially popular in its Hyde Park location, Paxton’s building suffered from neglect and shifting tastes after being moved to Sydenham Hill in Southeast London. It burned in 1936.

Philadelphia

In a fiercely competitive industry that will continue evolving as its standards are raised (often by ambitious and creative architects), Ducate speculates that many cities will have to conscientiously opt out of the convention game. Land values will obviously be a deciding factor but &ldquo;looking at repurposing is a prudent thing to do,&rdquo; says Ducate. The Pennsylvania Convention Center&rsquo;s refresh includes the restoration of an historic railroad station and train shed, which is incorporated into the convention center&rsquo;s operations. Photo credit <a href=http://www.'Paulloftland.com' target='_blank'>Paulloftland.com</a>

Houston & New Orleans

Cities in this situation may consider borrowing a page from Houston (featured on the left), where its 1968 convention center was converted into a vibrant entertainment, shopping, and dining venue in the heart of downtown. Similarly, in New Orleans (featured on the right), an original convention center, also built in 1968, now houses a casino. The International Association of Venue Managers is currently studying the scope of possibilities associated with repurposing outdated convention centers. <a href='http://www.houstonconventionctr.com/Home/PressRoom/ImageGallery.aspx' target='_blank'>Houston photo credit.</a>

 

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