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
| Apr 26, 2013
Solving the parking dilemma in U.S. cities
ArchDaily's Rory Stott yesterday posted an interesting exploration of progressive parking strategies being employed by cities and designers. The lack of curbside and lot parking exacerbates traffic congestion, discourages visitors, and leads to increased vehicles emissions.
| Apr 24, 2013
Los Angeles may add cool roofs to its building code
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants cool roofs added to the city’s building code. He is also asking the Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to create incentives that make it financially attractive for homeowners to install cool roofs.
| Apr 17, 2013
First look: Renzo Piano's glass-domed motion pictures museum
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last week released preliminary plans for its $300 million Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences museum in Los Angeles, designed by Renzo Piano and local architect Zoltan Pali.
| Apr 2, 2013
6 lobby design tips
If you do hotels, schools, student unions, office buildings, performing arts centers, transportation facilities, or any structure with a lobby, here are six principles from healthcare lobby design that make for happier users—and more satisfied owners.
| Mar 22, 2013
8 cool cultural projects in the works
A soaring opera center in Hong Kong and a multi-tower music center in Calgary are among the latest cultural projects.
| Mar 7, 2013
Vegas rebound: Genting Group acquires assets of stalled Vegas casino-resort
International hospitality giant Genting Group has announced a deal with Boyd Gaming Corp. to purchase the land and assets, including partially built structures, of the stalled Echelon casino-resort in Las Vegas.
| Feb 25, 2013
10 U.S. cities with the best urban forests
Charlotte, Denver, and Milwaukee are among 10 U.S. cities ranked recently by the conservation organization American Forests for having quality urban forest programs.
| Feb 22, 2013
Detroit project would bring 'fairytale forest' to riverfront
A proposal by atelierWHY to create a heavily wooded park on the downtown riverfront has taken first place in the juried Detroit By Design competition.
| Feb 19, 2013
'Pop-up' proposal would create movable cultural venue for NYC
The Culture Shed, a proposed 170,000-sf project for New York City's Hudson Yards development, could be the ultimate in "pop-up" facilities.
| Feb 14, 2013
Brasfield & Gorrie breaks ground on New College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta
General contractor Brasfield & Gorrie is scheduled to kick off construction on the new College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta. With an anticipated completion date of fall 2014, the $66.5 million project will continue the revitalization of the city’s tourist district.
