Miami Beach Convention Center renovation and expansion completes
By David Malone, Associate Editor
The expansion and renovation of the 1,435,000-sf Miami Beach Convention Center has recently completed.
The project was designed with the goal of making Miami Beach Convention Center the most technologically-advanced center in the U.S. and to provide upgraded show needs and increase the potential for the city to market the center on an international basis. Achieving this goal involved complex renovations and replacements of virtually all the building’s electrical and mechanical operating systems.
Courtesy Fentress Architects.
The project includes a new 60,000-sf ballroom and 127,000 sf of new meeting spaces. The completed project will accommodate 500,000 sf of exhibit hall space with increased power and improved IT connectivity capacities, increased ballroom and meeting areas, and renovated back-of-house spaces. Additionally, over six acres of parking lot space has been transformed into space for a public park and landscaping and infrastructure improvements, including a tropical garden, game lawn, shaded areas, veterans plaza, pavilion, and a water feature.
The renovation concepts were inspired by modern designs incorporating natural elements of the ocean, beach, and underwater life. Waves, manta rays, and coral reefs were studied as part of the design process. The building envelope is designed with linear forms that create a curvilinear undulation inspired by ocean waves. The facade has hurricane resistant connections meant to withstand even the largest storms. The project was built with the future in mind by using steel construction with composite metal decks for raised floors in the case of rising sea levels. The interior design finishes emulates receding water, sea foam, and patterns relating to various typed of local coral reef.
The completed project earned LEED Silver certification.
