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Tacoma Convention Center
New Venue Affords Dramatic Views
Built into a hillside, the Tacoma Convention Center takes
advantage of the earth's natural slope to give visitors a
sweeping view of downtown Tacoma.
by Sheila Bacon
What probably looked like a difficult building site in the
beginning has become the reason for the Tacoma Convention
Center's unique design.
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The new Tacoma
Convention Center will open Nov. 15.
Photo by Sheila Bacon
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The $94.7 million structure, built into a hillside in downtown
Tacoma, features a unique top floor exhibition hall and a
striking view of downtown Tacoma.
Most convention centers are built with their exhibition halls
on the bottom floor, providing optimal access for deliveries.
Because of Tacoma Convention Center's hillside location, the
rear entry is at the top floor, encouraging the placement
of the exhibition hall there.
Lucky for the hall's future visitors. Architects took advantage
of the site, designing the 227,000-sq.-ft. structure with
a glass curtainwall façade on the east and north. Visitors
will be treated to views of the Tacoma Dome, the 21st Street
cable-stayed bridge and a clear-day view of Mount Rainier.
In an attempt to "de-box" the convention center,
designers used several methods to add depth and texture to
the structure, said Wyn Bielaska, who, as project designer
with Seattle's Merritt + Pardini, partnered with architects
from Bellevue, Wash.'s MulvannyG2 on the design. The east-facing
curtainwall cantilevers out from its base, then doubles back
just before it reaches the top of the structure, a deliberate
design element.
"The angle of the façade is an expression of
(the building's) programmatic elements," said Bielaska.
The glass angles out the farthest at floor five, where there
is a sizable prefunction space fronting the exhibition hall.
At the base of the curtainwall at floor one, the wall pulls
back in towards the building where less space is needed.
The angled wall also "adds expression to the building,
so we jumped on that," said Bielaska.
The glass "projection box" at the structure's northeast
corner also adds dimension to the building. The glass-enclosed
open space encircling a stairway runs the full height of the
convention center and blends into public spaces fronted by
the east-facing glass curtainwall.
The box projects out over the sidewalk at the corner of 15th
and Commerce in an attempt to identify the center amongst
other surrounding buildings.
"Because it's tucked behind other buildings, it was
a way to reach out as far into the street as possible,"
said Bielaska.
A large architectural tower at the southeast corner of the
center was initially planned but has been deferred.
Super Site
The convention center sits on a six-acre site bounded by
Commerce and Market streets and 15th and 17th streets. Because
of the sloped site, visitors can enter at different levels.
The level-one entrance off Commerce leads to office, boardrooms
and a small retail outlet. Another entrance off 15th leads
to level three; ballrooms and meeting rooms. Floor two is
parking and floor four is mainly mechanical space. The top
floor is the exhibition hall. Additional surface and garage
parking spaces on site will bring the convention center's
total parking spaces to more than 600.
Delivery access at the new center is optimum, said Charlie
Solverson, convention center project manager with the City
of Tacoma. Access off Market Street, which is parallel to
floor five on the west side of the structure, features a spacious
loading dock with three truck bays, allowing delivery vehicles
to drive directly from the docks onto the exhibit hall floor.
The convention center is being built using the General Contractor/Construction
Manager (GC/CM) method, which brought M.A. Mortenson (Bellevue,
Wash.) to the design table early on, joining City of Tacoma
representatives and designers.
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The frame
of the “projection box,” shown here jutting
out at the northeast corner of the convention center,
will be clad in glass and help define the building.
Photo by Sheila Bacon
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Mortenson's early involvement meant certain aspects of construction
could commence before drawings were completely finished, said
Jeff Pittman, senior superintendent. Crews accepted the structural
steel soon after the sitework and foundation were finished
and when drawings were only 75 percent complete, Pittman said.
The mechanical and electrical systems were design-build, allowing
SASCO and Holaday-Parks to move forward with work while the
systems' designs were evolving.
The city chose the GC/CM method because it wanted to be able
to retain control of the convention center's design (as opposed
to a design/build method), but still bring the contractor
on board early in the design process. The method has worked
well, Solverson said, encouraging value engineering and a
collaborative mindset early on in the process.
"You get the synergy of the whole team," he said.
Already, three state association meetings are cooked at
the convention center in 2005, along with a number of smaller
holiday parties for local businesses, said David Bobo, the
convention center's general manager.
The Tacoma Link light rail passes directly by the new convention
center, and a public plaza is scheduled to be built this summer
at the southeast corner of the structure. Completion of both
the plaza and the convention center are expected by Nov. 15.
Useful Sites
The following site details the Tacoma Convention Center and
includes links about Tacoma:
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