Building it Big
New Civic Center to Energize Downtown

By K. Robert Wendel

The first phase of the $600 million Phoenix Convention Center expansion should be completed by May.

Work on the downtown project started in fall 2003 with site preparation, and plans call for 2.4 million sq. ft. of new and remodeled convention space to be fully open by mid-2009.

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The project consists of new west and north buildings and a renovation of the south building. Work will wrap up on the renovation of the nearby Symphony Hall this fall.

"We are hot and heavy in construction on phase one, with 85 percent of the construction funds committed," said Nirmal Mangal, vice president and managing principal in the Phoenix office of architect Leo A Daly.

The west building is the first to open in 2006, followed by the north hall in 2008, finishing off with the south convention remodeling in 2009. Once the west building is finished, convention center activities will be shifted to the new west hall and work will start on phase two.

Phoenix voters approved $300 million in funding with the state of Arizona committing another $300 million.

The new convention center is one of the largest construction projects in Arizona history and it is also the largest "green build" effort in the United States. The construction team is aiming for a basic Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design certification from the U.S Green Building Council.

Some "green" techniques under discussion include installing solar panels on the roof and using as much natural day lighting as possible.

"Everything about this project is large," said Patrick Edwards, the lead designer and a principal with the Phoenix office of Leo A Daly.

The new project more than triples the size of the existing convention center, which is now the 67th largest convention hall in the United States. When the project is completed, the new convention center will be among the 20 largest convention centers in the nation.

City officials said about 120,000 people use the existing hall each year, with projections showing an estimated 345,000 convention delegates annually when construction is completed. They added that each conventioneer spends an average of $1,500 during his or her stay.

The city awarded a construction-manager-at-risk contract after reviewing 11 submissions on the design side and eight submissions on the construction side. It settled on the tri-venture group of Hunt Construction of Phoenix, Alvarado Construction of Denver and Russell Construction of Atlanta.

The city designated that 10 percent of the $600 million project must go to minority or women-owned businesses. HOK Venue set a higher goal to contract 20 percent, which is being exceeded by 3 percent.

The project features a host of engineers, including LSW Engineers Arizona Inc., Paul-Koehler Structural Engineers and David Evans and Associates, all based in Phoenix, and Los Angeles-based Syska Hennesy.

Most of the convention space sits 45 ft. below grade, with the new west hall eventually connecting to the east hall under Third Street, creating 310,000 sq. ft. of contiguous convention hall space. Monroe Street will become the haul road in and out of the convention basement. The bays between columns are 90 ft. by 90 ft., with a 32-ft.-tall ceiling.

Three other levels feature meeting rooms on the at-grade level, conference rooms on the third level, and a ballroom on the fourth level.

Included will be high-tech communication and multimedia system. A central utility corridor will run underneath the below-grade convention hall.

The four above-grade levels sit on massive steel beams with 808 ft. lbs. of load for every foot of steel beam. The project calls for more than 25,000 tons of steel. "Steel is a big issue because of the rapid acceleration of prices, so it's a cramp on the project," Edwards said. "We had to go back and do some rigorous value engineering to bring the costs back into line."

The city will temporarily abandon Third Street while contractors open a cut to construct the connection between the east and west halls. Third Street will come back up to grade and become a two-way street. Washington Street also gets a makeover, and its dip under the existing convention center will be eliminated.

Keeping the massive convention center pedestrian friendly was a key objective for designers. At the street level, plans call for retail shops and offices along the perimeter of the building. At the main entrance, a soaring 70-ft.-tall glass curtain wall opens into an air-conditioned atrium that is 90-ft. tall.

The street level features sandstone accents and is themed with southwest architecture. The atrium evokes a slot canyon while the sand stone echoes the stratified rock of the Grand Canyon.

"We are trying to engage people at the street level, even if they aren't going into the convention center," architect Mangal said. "We also want the project to reflect the style and values that Arizona is about."

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