convention centers civic pride

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One need only stand in the middle of Mount Vernon Square inWashington, D.C., and observe the juxtaposition of the capital’snew convention center to the north and its predecessor a fewhundred yards to the south to witness a paradigm shift in

design. The former is a welcoming structure of transparency and ele-gance, the latter an ominous concrete tomb that suggests spectators go in,but they don’t come out. The old convention center is a relic of the 1970swhen developers of large, public venues were satisfied with blank con-tainers that turned their backs on the cities that hosted them. Therationale for this was that exhibitors wanted black boxes in which theycould create their own theatrics without daylight’s intrusive reality check.The result was an experience not unlike a Las Vegas casino: no clocks, nosense of day or night, no external distractions.

Las Vegas hasn’t fixed what in its case isn’t broken, but develop-ers of convention centers and similar building types—sports arenas andeven shopping malls—are confronting new economic realities, not theleast of which is increased competition for business. Every second-tier cityfrom Raleigh, North Carolina, to Worcester, Massachusetts, is buildingsuch facilities, the theory being that their by-products—hotels, restau-rants, and retail operations—will revitalize depressed urban areas ordeliver architectural distinction to a bland context. To gain advantage inthis competitive environment, city officials and private developers pro-mote their projects as having unique amenities that will benefit the localresidents as well as visitors. Then they chose architects who can producethe visual drama to make these behemoths desirable destinations.

In all three projects discussed here, functionality in the exhibi-tion halls remains an elemental priority. Regardless of the civic pride atstake, these halls are the financial nucleus of any convention center.Paradoxically, all three firms used transparency to hide these sealed inter-nal containers. At the same time, transparency penetrates the massing anddiminishes the bulk associated with this building type. Visitors remainconnected to the outside world, and passersby are treated vicariously tothe activities taking place inside.

Besides finely detailed curtain walls and soaring, light-filledatriums, the architects of each project succeeded in turning secondaryspaces, clumsily referred to as “prefunction” areas, into destinations intheir own right, deserving of another label. Here, the collaborationbetween architect and interior designer was crucial. In all three cases, thepartnership paid off to the extent that these supersize volumes mightactually be called glamorous. Another fabulous paradox. ■

By Sara Hart

Civic PrideTHE LATEST GENERATION OF CONVENTION CENTERS REVEALS ABUILDING TYPE THAT HAS EVOLVED FROM EYESORE TO ICON.

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CONVENTION CENTERS

For more information on these projects, go to Projects atwww.architecturalrecord.com.

1.Washington, D.C.

Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback

disprove conventional wisdom by

elegantly reconciling building mass

and residential scale.

2.Pittsburgh

Rafael Viñoly applies sustainable

principles on a large scale with an

iconic beacon on the banks of the

Allegheny River.

3.San Francisco

In a joint venture, Gensler lifts the

Moscone Center out of the ground

with a sparkling addition.

6321AR CivicPride 8/12/04 4:25 PM

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David L. LawrenceConvention CenterPittsburgh

2 RAFAEL VIÑOLY ARCHITECTS’ BRIDGELIKE STRUCTURE ON THE WATERFRONTREAPS ACCOLADES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND ENGINEERING INGENUITY.By Deborah Snoonian, P.E.

Architect: Rafael Viñoly Architects—

Rafael Viñoly, FAIA, principal in

charge; Jay Bargmann, AIA, project

director; David Rolland, AIA, project

manager; Charles Blomberg, AIA,

Francesco De Fuentes, Tomomi

Hayashi, Patrick Hwang, Julian Kinal,

Edward LaLonde, Keisuke Nibe, Felipe

Nistal, Aki Shimiz, design team

Client: Sports and Exhibition

Authority, Pittsburgh

Engineers: Dewhurst Macfarlane

and Partners/Goldreich Engineering

(structural); Burt Hill Kosar

Rittelman (m/e/p, fire protection)

Consultants: LAM Partners

(lighting); Shen Milsom Wilke

(A/V, telecom, acoustics); Chilton

Engineering (civil engineering);

Crystal Fountains (water feature)

Size: 1.45 million square feet

Cost: $294 million

Completion date: September 2003

Sources

Structural system: ADF (steel);

Birdair (cable roof system)

Cladding: AJAY (glass curtain wall);

Alucobond (metal panels); Centria

(corrugated metal panels); Overly

Manufacturing (stainless-steel

roofing); Birdair (tensile fabric

membrane)

Louvers: Construction Specialties

Longtime residents of Steel Cityremember the days when white-collar businessmen changed theirshirts each afternoon after airbornesoot had dirtied the ones they’dworn in the morning. But Pittsburghhas cleaned up its act since itsflagship industry dried up, and cityofficials have embraced the tenetsof green building. The new David L.Lawrence Convention Centerembodies the aspirations of a cityreinvigorating its downtown core asit strives to craft an identity aroundits universities and new industries inthe medical and high-tech fields.

ProgramIn 1998, the Sports and ExhibitionAuthority announced a competitionfor an addition to an undersize convention center on the south shoreof the Allegheny River. The program,conceived by local officials, requiredfirms to incorporate sustainabilitystrategies into their schemes. Anine-member jury winnowed throughhundreds of entries to pick four finalists, and in February 1999, thejury announced the unanimousselection of Rafael Viñoly Architectsover Arquitectonica, Cesar Pelli &Associates, and Skidmore, Owings &Merrill. An aura of high-stakesdrama surrounded the contest, withlocal newspapers devoting manycolumn-inches to its progression, all capped off by a television specialthat chronicled the evolution of eachfinalist’s design.

SolutionClad mostly in heat-reflecting whitealuminum, the new center standsout brightly against the dense concrete-and-brick palette of down-town. Its north elevation faces theriver, and from the opposite shore it resembles nothing so much as acruise ship ready to set sail forexotic waters. But seen up close,the structure reveals itself as whatViñoly calls “half a bridge”—a nodto the city’s engineering heritage.The north side is cantilevered like a deck over the roadway below.Fifteen enormous cables, strungover tall masts, support the slopingroof. The cables terminate inexposed anchors inside and on the roof, where passersby inspectthem like rare sculptures.

To the usual programmatic mix, Viñoly has introduced extensiveglazing, river views, and outdoor terraces, bringing daylight and freshair to what has historically been asealed-off building type. These fea-tures, among others, earned theproject a gold LEED rating from theU.S. Green Building Council last year.It’s expected to consume a third lessenergy than comparable structures.

Visitors gain access on theground floor alongside a bus-and-shuttle underpass, which is bisectedby a man-made stream pumped fromthe subsurface aquifer that connectsthe building to its site (a riverfrontpark is in the works). Modest-sizeexhibition halls occupy the west end

For more information on this project,go to Projects atwww.architecturalrecord.com.


The sweeping form of

the David L. Lawrence

Convention Center

(below) pays homage

to the Three Sisters,

the yellow-painted

steel suspension

bridges that span the

Allegheny River (left).

On the roof, huge

supporting cables

terminate in exposed

anchors like those

found on the bridges

(above).


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1. Water feature

2. Main exhibition hall

3. Prefunction area

4. Pedestrian bridge

5. Promenade

6. Riverfront terrace

7. Entry lobby

8. Service corridor

9. Loading dock

A rooftop deck allows

views of downtown

Pittsburgh (above

right). At the ground-

floor level, water

flows over concrete

walls into a channel

that points the way to

a planned riverfront

park (right).

FIRST FLOOR0 100 FT.

30 M.N

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THIRD FLOOR

SECOND FLOOR

9

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1. Parking garage

2. Water feature

3. Entry lobby

4. Administration

5. Secondary exhibition

hall

6. Service corridor

7. Loading dock

8. Prefunction area

9. Main exhibition hall

10. Junior ballroom

(for future hotel)

11. Meeting room

12. Pedestrian bridge

13. Service bridge

14. Main ballroom

15. Kitchen


The play of sunlight and

shadow animates the

roof of the main exhibi-

tion hall and a circulation

area (above left and

right). Ample glazing

opens up river views on

the north side (below).

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of this floor, with administrativeoffices located to the east.

On the second floor, nary asingle column impedes the expanseof the main exhibition hall—clearlythe grand achievement of this project. During temperate months,fresh air cools the volume, intro-duced through louvers on the northand south sides. A glazed walkwaythat crosses over the hall puts visitors at eye level with the cable-and-truss-supported roof. Viñolywanted to maintain its airy feel, so engineers Burt Hill KosarRittelmann designed a system offabric ducts with irregular perfora-tions along their length that ensureair enters the hall with a stable flowand velocity, key for thermal com-fort. According to David Linamen,the engineer in charge, the ductseasily accommodate structuralshifts in the roof and were cheaperto install than metal ductwork, aswell as less prone to condensationproblems with the energy-efficientlow-temperature HVAC system.

Between appointments, visitorscan enjoy river views on the secondand third floors. In warm weather,the rooftop deck and promenadeafford vistas of downtown as well asthe bridges and hills that inspiredthe building’s form. Meeting roomsand circulation areas present a calmbackdrop to the constant thrum ofhuman activity with their pure-whitewalls and interior finishes in quiettones of beige, gray, and burgundy.

CommentaryViñoly correctly says the project “isnot fashionable,” but that doesn’tmean it lacks flair: The center’ssuperb unity of siting, structure,form, and material make it a fittingnew icon for its host city. Recog-nizing a community in need of adestination that could supporturban life for many years to come,Viñoly eschewed flash-in-the-panarchitectural brio for a sophisticatedsolution that’s high on refined ele-gance yet absent empty flourish orneedless sculptural gesture. In sochoosing, he has done Pittsburgh agreat service. Fashion may be fleet-ing, but style is timeless. ■

Reprinted from Architectural Record, May 2004, copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., with all rights reserved.This reprint implies no endorsement, either tacit or expressed, of any company, product, service or investment opportunity.


Lights from the main

exhibition hall exude

enough glow to illumi-

nate the promenade

leading to the riverfront

terrace (this page).

A pedestrian bridge

(opposite, top) lets

visitors peer down into

the grand exhibition

hall (opposite, bottom).


convention centers civic pride

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