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.

The new Tacoma Convention Center will open Nov. 15. Photo by Sheila Bacon

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.

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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.

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

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:

• www.tacomaconventioncenter.com