Starting next August, the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville will be closed for two years, during which the facility will be renovated and expanded by 37% to 200,000 sf in a $180 million project.
The extended closing has worried local businesses that depend on the convention center for customer traffic. However, the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau assured these businesses that conventions affected by the closing could occur in other locations in the city.
State officials, including Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Gov. Steve Beshear, recently released renderings of the renovation, for which EOP Architects handled the design and architectural work with the Chicago office of HOK. Those renderings show an open floor plan with a glass-enclosed design. A 40,000-sf ballroom will be added within the center’s existing footprint. The convention center’s 52 meeting rooms will be completely renovated, and the facility’s kitchen is also being overhauled. The exhibition space will be located on one floor, says Richard Polk, a Principal at Lexington, Ky.-based EOP.
The center’s new design is expected to improve navigation and pedestrian flow through the building. The design promotes energy and water conservation, and the project will pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver certification, according to Beshear’s office.
Beshear and Fischer see this project as essential to placing Louisville in the top tier of convention destinations in the country. Beshear said that 21 events are booked from the reopening of the convention center through the summer of 2023, six of which are new business and another six are returning only because the convention center will be larger.
Tourism produces $13.1 billion in annual economic impact and nearly $1.4 billion in tax revenue for Kentucky. The expanded and renovated convention center is expected to have an annual economic impact of more than $53 million, up from $43 million in recent years. It will support 1,050 hospitality and tourism jobs, up from 850 today.
Related Stories
Cultural Facilities | Apr 20, 2015
Jean Nouvel loses court battle against Philharmonie de Paris over alleged design ‘sabotage’
Nouvel boycotted the January opening of the facility and asked for his name to be removed from all references to the work.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 30, 2015
Designs released for new entertainment center in Lubbock, Texas
Amenities of the facility include a performance venue that seats 2,220, a smaller one that seats 425, a 6,000-sf multipurpose room, and a bistro café.
Religious Facilities | Mar 23, 2015
Is nothing sacred? Seattle church to become a restaurant and ballroom
A Seattle-based real estate developer plans to convert a historic downtown building, which for more than a century has served as a church sanctuary, into a restaurant with ballroom space.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 13, 2015
New Orleans observation tower to feature 320-foot double-helix gondola ride
Tricentennial Tower will take visitors on a 300-year journey through the city's history before landing them at the top for a 360-degree view of the Crescent City.
Retail Centers | Mar 10, 2015
Retrofit projects give dying malls new purpose
Approximately one-third of the country’s 1,200 enclosed malls are dead or dying. The good news is that a sizable portion of that building stock is being repurposed.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 9, 2015
London council nixes plans to rebuild the Crystal Palace
Plans for the new Crystal Palace Park were scrapped when the city and the project's developer could come to an agreement before the 16-month exclusivity contract expired.
Codes and Standards | Mar 5, 2015
Charlotte, N.C., considers rule for gender-neutral public bathrooms
A few other cities, including Philadelphia, Austin, Texas, and Washington D.C., already have gender-neutral bathroom regulations.
Architects | Feb 27, 2015
5 finalists announced for 2015 Mies van der Rohe Award
Bjarke Ingels' Danish Maritime Museum and the Ravensburg Art Museum by Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei are among the five projects vying for the award.
Cultural Facilities | Feb 25, 2015
Bjarke Ingels designs geodesic dome for energy production, community use
A new building in Uppsala, Sweden, will serve as a power plant during the winter and a venue for shows, festivals, and music events during the warm months.
Cultural Facilities | Feb 20, 2015
‘Floating’ park on New York’s Hudson River moves one step closer to reality
The developers envision the 2.4-acre space as a major performance arts venue.