Venue Makeover: No More Concrete for Cincy

A makeover of the Cincinnati Convention Center is the latest evidence that the concrete box plunked in the middle of downtown is quickly becoming an ancient relic.

The Cincinnati expansion and renovation is transforming it into a radical, not-so-concrete, not-so-boxy building that fits into its surroundings organically, yet arrestingly.

Convention centers and other tradeshow venues have come a long way in the last 15 years or so, according to LMN Architects design partner Mark Reddington. Much of this is evolution — from forbidding, unattractive, sometimes prison-like designs that practically dared people to enter, to welcoming, open buildings with enormous glass windows that bring in the surrounding city and place the building comfortably in its environs.

Why the change? It's not just that cities in the late '80s and early '90s finally got hip to the fact that convention centers, if attractive and user-friendly, were potentially enormous revenue sources.

Reddington said the way cities have grown also has had a huge effect on where convention centers are built and what they look like. Fifteen years ago, the centers were typically built on the edges of urban areas, with the front entrance facing the city and the loading dock hidden in the rear. Construction usually only meant closing a few streets, and there was relatively little disruption to surrounding neighborhoods.

But cities have grown, filling in available spaces, and convention centers have grown with them as they attempt to keep up with larger and larger shows. Now, density is a problem, space at a premium, and convention centers that used to be designed to look like warehouses have morphed into works of art, with large lobbies and lots of glass.

"There's the recognition that downtowns have reversed the trend — people have come back, and facilities are reflecting the renewed vibrancy of downtown areas," Reddington said.

The new Cincinnati facility will add 279,000 gross square feet of space to 548,000 sq. ft. of renovated space, for an expanded facility total of 827,000 sq. ft. The project carries a $108-million price tag and a July 2006 completion date.

"The old building was seriously flawed," Reddington said. The old loading dock was too small for today's trucks; the lobby too small for even a modest crowd.

On the other hand, the new building will be nothing if not user-friendly. Dock dimensions are being increased, while large glass areas make the city itself a reference point and the building less intimidating.

All systems are being upgraded for show organizers, Reddington added, and the 40,000 sq. ft. ballroom demonstrates a new way of thinking for such rooms: It's more like a dramatic theater space, taking advantage of lessons learned from LMN's theatrical design work.

LMN is using a similar approach with the new Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre, which will connect to the existing B.C. Place Stadium. It's being constructed on a pier with all its windows overlooking the water and its roof a living, landscaped garden.

Mark McKillip, project manager with the city of Cincinnati, said the expansion would make the convention center about 40 percent bigger when the project is complete. Formerly called the Dr. Albert B. Sabin Convention Center, the new convention center will be renamed the Cinergy Center. According to McKillip, the project will create 2,000 new jobs and contribute $122 million annually to the local economy.

Travelers along I-75 will be able to read the center's lighted "Cincinnati" sign, as will people living far from downtown. LMN's Reddington said the sign, made of overlapping metal pieces, would be readable from some angles and look like a sculpture from others. "People nearing downtown or the center will know they've arrived in Cincinnati," he noted. "As you approach the building, it's angled so that you can't read it anymore, but it begins to break up into fragments like a sculpture built into the facade. That's probably the most unique thing on the side of the building."

The sign is also an integral part of the building. Part of the lobby forms the letter T in the sign's "Cincinnati," so that attendees in the lobby become living parts of the symbol.

That, Reddington said, is a hallmark of modern urban convention center design. The center represents its city to others, with layers of meaning to enrich the destination's image. Facilities, like Cincinnati's new building or the new convention center LMN is designing for Vancouver, have become hybrids of urban design and architecture, of image and functionality. Reddington pointed out that this is a stark contrast with older buildings, which he called big, unfriendly-looking concrete boxes.

The city-enriching features of the new Cincinnati center include a public concourse on the south side; and a blue and green collage mural alluding to boats and other features of the river, a defining and prominent natural feature of the city.

Reddington said these design concepts may seem radical to some, but convention center design is in an evolutionary, rather than a revolutionary, period. "We're looking at other projects that are even more integrated into their cities, that will be multi-use facilities like Seattle's, whose expanded convention center also includes office space, retail space and a museum. Cities are great for that. They offer a synergy of events, and their facilities must be active and vibrant."