Welcome to the Doll House

This week's news, reported by my colleague Rachel Wimberly, about the collapse of a chunk of floor in Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence Convention Center brings into focus a fuzzy notion I've had for a while: Cities, CVBs and other convention center investors are entering a new era of high design ... and big headaches.

Think of it as an initiation period. For years, the tradeshow industry (and Tradeshow Week) has been trumpeting the arrival of interesting architecture. At last, as the line goes, tradeshows could leave behind boring concrete boxes and step into snazzy, art-laden buildings worthy of the global commerce they host.

Talk to someone who's been to a rainy-day tradeshow at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York, designed by world-renowned architect I.M. Pei (of Louvre pyramid fame). The gorgeous glass edifice leaks like a sieve.

Although it may have nothing to do with the recent floor collapse, the suspended roof of the David L. Lawrence, designed by Rafael Vinoly (of Tokyo Intl. Forum fame), gave engineers and contractors fits during construction. And the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority settled out of court — for $22 million, according to some reports — its lawsuit against HNTB, Rafael Vinoly Architects and Vanderweil Engineers for alleged design flaws in the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

The thing is, the Javits, the David L. Lawrence and the BCEC are all breathtaking examples of architecture — not just convention center architecture — at its best. These buildings have something to show people about the culture of the place they're visiting that's far beyond the convenience of loading docks or the plentitude of meeting rooms.

That's not to say those who finance and visit buildings shouldn't expect them to be safe; they should. The teams that design and build convention centers are required, in some ways by law, to take responsibility for their soundness.

But cities, CVBs and other newcomers to the world of high design will have to get accustomed to the precautions and headaches that dealing with cutting-edge architecture unfortunately entails.