Remaking Convention Centers: Infill, Theaters and 'Greening'
Tuesday, January 17 2006
Gone are the days when convention centers were little more than sprawling buildings with loading docks and parking lots.
Today they're more an urban hub with services geared to visitors-and residents.
"Convention centers are no longer big boxes in cities. They have to be part of the community," said Todd Voth, principal with Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, known as HOK, in Kansas City.
The Anaheim Convention Center was at the forefront of the trend when it debuted its last expansion in 2000. At the time, features like its graceful glass fa?ade and interior colors, created by HOK, represented design innovations that turned once nondescript convention centers into local icons.
Anaheim's curved glass wall represents the California coastline, while interior colors reflect the city's agricultural history.
Similar designs relying on local culture now can be found across the U.S.
The Anaheim Convention Center's design, created by HOK, can be found across the U.S.
