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By Curtis Worth Fentress, FAIA, RIBA
Facility managers, city officials and center
operators are providing visionary leadership that allows architects to
create civic-minded facilities. These well-designed facilities act as
ambassadors (see “Civic-Minded Centers, Part One,” Aug./Sept., p. 28),
connectors and places of respite. Recently completed convention center
projects in Denver and Palm Springs, Calif., illustrate the point perfectly.
Connector
Convention and conference facilities are primary draws for outof- town
guests, as opposed to entertainment or cultural venues, which often serve as
secondary draws. Conventioneers are people who might not venture to some
destinations on their own; however, in coming for a convention, they may
branch out to explore the city.
If their experience is positive and memorable,
they may even return again and again. Straightforward, easy links among
hotels, public transportation, restaurants, cultural facilities and the
center maximize the repeat visit phenomenon and help sustain and grow the
host city’s economy.
 Connector
in Action: Colorado Convention Center
The Center is a keystone for downtown, in that it reinforces five key
linkages in Denver’s urban fabric. Auraria Campus, which is home to three
colleges and 33,000 students, is linked to the Center via a series of urban
design elements, including landscaping and well-timed traffic lights. A
sidewalk curves from Colfax along Speer Boulevard to the Denver Center of
Performing Arts and beyond to connect the Civic District with an entire
neighborhood of new urban housing units.
Likewise, 14th Street connects the Civic District with the entertainment
venues offered by Larimer Square and similar destinations by way of a
streetscaped urban corridor. The Light Rail line’s new Arts Stop not only
accommodates the addition of extra cars to the city’s trains but also
provides shelter for waiting riders.
The final linkage is Champa Street’s pedestrian bridge, which joins the
Center, its new 1,000 public parking spaces and the Light Rail station to
the performing arts complex, while reducing the pedestrian impact on the
ever-busy adjoining intersections.
 The
internal Spine, or main concourse, connects Speer Boulevard with 14th Street
and beyond. As a tour guide of sorts, it also intuitively directs people to
their destinations within the Center. Along their way, visitors are
introduced to numerous amenities, including concessions and rest areas.
Meeting room corridors open from this space, as do ballroom prefunctions and
small breakout areas.
The cascading stairwells and escalators that descend from the concourse
serve both the 17,600- sq.-ft. and 12,600-sq.-ft. prefunction lobbies to the
Center’s two ballrooms. These lobbies are equipped with the features
necessary to host everything from cocktails to announcements, and they
establish a grand and invigorating atmosphere for guests.
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Photo by Ron Johnson |
Connector in Action:
Palm Springs Convention Center
Expansion In the 20 years since Palm Springs built the original Center, the
urban fabric changed, so the expansion focused on reintegrating the Center
with the expanded downtown on both a vehicular and pedestrian scale.
The first strategy employed was to relocate the main entry from the east to
the west. The existing entry faced away from downtown and opened onto an
empty parking lot. The new western entry not only visually and physically
better connects the Center with downtown but also orients the building
toward some of the City’s most regal mountain vistas. Relocation of the main
entry, landscaping and sidewalk treatments turned two streets — Andreas and
Amado — into the primary pathways for pedestrians to connect with Palm
Canyon Drive, three adjacent existing hotels and a new casino.
Respite
Like travelers in an airport, attendees often become harried in their
attempt to make the most of a meeting or exhibition. Therefore, centers must
not only emanate a sense of calm and order, they must also encompass
dedicated internal and external breakaway spaces. These spaces should be
respites — places where an attendee can check e-mail and voice messages, get
something to eat or drink, catch up on meeting literature or simply relax.
Just like with any activity, rejuvenation results in a better attention span
and more altruistic behavior from the participant.
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TAKE-HOME POINTS
• Easy links among hotels, restaurants,
cultural facilities and the center increase the likelihood of repeat visits.
• Centers should emanate a sense of calm and order, and encompass dedicated
internal and external breakaway spaces.
• A well-designed facility acts as ambassador, connector and place of
respite |
Respite in Action:
Colorado Convention Center A 7,200-plus-sq.-ft. circular lounge offers space
for relaxation, intimate meetings and connections to the Internet. This
lounge is located immediately adjacent to the 3,000-seat auditorium and can
function as a VIP lounge and secure box office. From this space, visitors
may journey down the Spine, or main concourse, or take escalators to the
Speer Boulevard terrace and exhibit hall.
Terraces are provided off either end of the exhibit hall. The 7,800-sq.-ft.
Speer Boulevard terrace provides ample room to host an event and spectacular
views to the majestic Rocky Mountains. On the opposite side, a smaller
terrace affords a breath of fresh air above 14th Street and panoramic vistas
of the downtown scene.
Respite in Action: Palm Springs Convention
Center Expansion The amiable desert climate allows for
versatile indoor/outdoor spaces. Two outdoor areas are featured on either
side of the building. Inspired by the nearby Indian Canyon Oasis, these two
areas provide outdoor prefunction and assembly areas. These oases are filled
with shade, water, color and smells of the desert.
As principal-in-charge of
design for Fentress Bradburn Architects, Curt Fentress has directed the
design of more than 40 million square feet of large-scale public sector
space, valued at more than $60 billion. These projects annually welcome,
guide and host more than 225 million people across the United States and
abroad. The firm’s portfolio, which has garnered more than 200 awards
for design excellence, includes convention and conference centers in
Denver, Palm Springs, Calif., Pasadena, Calif., and Santa Fe, N.M. |
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