Convention Centers An Economic Vision in a Box

By Lucy Bodilly

Competition tightens as cities build convention centers to bring in extra revenue.

Cities throughout the Northwest are having a meeting of the minds, especially when it comes to building or expanding convention centers.

Spokane, Bremerton, Lynnwood and Vancouver in Washington and Salem and Hillsboro in Oregon and Anchorage, Alaska, are all in the middle of projects or have just completed overhauls of existing facilities.

The Bremerton Convention Center, built by OPUS NW and designed by LMN, includes a plaza with views of Puget Sound. (Photo courtesy of LMN)

Construction activity here echoes the trend, nationally. Public capital spending on convention centers has doubled to $2.4 billion annually over the past decade, increasing convention space by over 50 percent since 1990, according to figures from the Brookings Institution.

The incentive to build is the money visitors spend on ancillary activities such as hotels, restaurants and sightseeing, said Chris Easeman, head of the convention center group at LMN, a Seattle architectural firm. Industry experts estimate that each conventioneer spends an average of $1,500 per gathering, making convention centers an attractive idea to cities trying to boost their tax base. Some cities have a natural advantage. Spokane's geographic location, as the biggest metropolitan area along the northern U.S. border between Seattle and Minneapolis allows it to draw visitors across the northern tier states. Others such as Bremerton and Vancouver, Wash. offer access to Seattle and Portland respectively, at a lower price.

With so many centers for meeting planners to choose from, architects are being forced to come up with ever more alluring designs to help differentiate between the competition.

"Part of our design culture is to design the centers that will only fit at that specific site, in that specific city," Easeman said.

High tech was already a draw for the city of Spokane, which touts itself as one of the most "wired" cities in the U.S. The 100,000-sq.-ft. addition, is being built by Bouten/Hoffman, a joint venture based in Spokane, and designed by LMN, demonstrates that goal.

The convention center is part of Spokane's Hot Zone, an area of the city where a public Internet connection is available in every block. The general public can access the Internet at no charge for two-hours - conventioneers will have a six hour window.

Inside, the wiring was designed to allow for wireless computers and cell phone reception, Easeman said. "Technology demands are changing every day. And depend on the size of the convention center," Easeman said. Smaller centers need to have video conferencing capability, while larger ones need satellite downlinks or uplinks.

Whatever the frills, for event planners, price is of prime concern.

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"If the convention is small, we can provide the same services as downtown Seattle at 50 percent less," said Matt Gibson, public information officer with the Bremerton Public Facilities District. "We are in a smaller city, but we are run by a regional conference company, (Columbia Hospitality, Seattle) so we have a consistent quality of food and service."

Here is an overview some of the projects under way around the region.

Salem Conference Center

This project occupies an entire city block within the central business core of downtown Salem. The master plan for this project includes a conference center with 12,000-sq.-ft. of flexible meeting rooms and a 12,000-sq.-ft. ballroom/exhibit area, a 200-room hotel and restaurant, and 300 stalls of underground shared parking. The project provides a pedestrian friendly environment, including a block-long indoor public gallery and incorporates significant sustainable design elements. This public/private project is contributing to the revitalization of downtown Salem and it has created a landmark for the community. Client/developer: ECO Northwest/City of Salem/VIP's Industries, Inc.; Construction cost: $20 million - Phase 1: conference center and parking; project size: 60,000-sq.-ft.

Architect: LMN Architects Kitsap Conference Center at Bremerton Harborside

The City of Bremerton, located on the shores of Puget Sound, has begun its new era in growth and development. This public/private project by the LMN/Opus team has created new vision for the city, and includes a conference center, hotel, and an outdoor public plaza surrounded by supporting office, retail, and restaurants. The vitality of this development has drawn greater numbers of people to live, work, and shop downtown. The community enjoys increased access to the waterfront. This collection of buildings provides the City of Bremerton with a sense of architectural style and drama. The structures frame a grand central landscaped plaza that steps down toward the water, which and serves as a beacon; signaling a great new destination within the region of Puget Sound.

Project size: 15,000-sq.-ft. conference center, 110-room hotel, 740 below grade parking spaces, a new office building, and 58 units of housing.

Developer: Opus Northwest, L.L.C.; Architect: LMN Architects

New Alaska Civic and Conference Center

The New Alaska Civic and Convention Center will be a distinctive signature facility, providing state-of-the-art exhibit, meeting and ballroom spaces in the heart of downtown Anchorage, as well as an improved pedestrian environment linking the existing, Egan Center, the Performing Arts Center and a new parking garage. This new development, in the core of Anchorage's city center, provides a significant new activity generator that will create economic stimulus and trigger the additional construction of related co-development. The pedestrian amenities will provide a template for future connectivity through downtown public spaces, providing an enhancement necessary for a viable winter city environment.

The sequence of public lobby and pre-function spaces, featuring high ceilings and large glass walls, will allow pedestrians a view into the life in the building, while also capitalizing on the Center's unique natural setting. It also orients a very transparent lobby toward the downtown, enhancing the streetscape by allowing a clear view of the activities within as well as a lively and brightly lit façade on winter evenings. This "extroverted" building organization maximizes the potential for interior/exterior interaction while visually engaging the community with the convention center's ongoing events.

Since the Anchorage convention market includes large meeting events, the exhibit space will be designed with the flexibility to convert to a dining use to accommodate a large event requiring maximum seating capacity. The 192,000-sq.-ft. facility will also include 11,300-sq.- ft. of flexible meeting space and a 25,000 square foot ballroom.

Exterior materials have been chosen for durability, ease of maintenance, and appropriateness for a major civic building. Large areas of glass will bring light into the major public spaces and offer views of the distinctive setting while at night the building will glow like a beacon. Glazing is strategically located in the upper levels of the building to offer views of the downtown and surrounding mountain vistas. The design includes upper level decks which will, weather permitting, accommodate break out space and outdoor events. The decks will be enhanced by street trees.