David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Encyclopedia : D : DA : DAV : David L. Lawrence Convention Center
The David L. Lawrence Convention Center, completed in 2003, is a 1.5 million square foot convention, conference and exhibition building in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was completed in 2000 and sits at the southern shoreline of the Allegheny River in downtown Pittsburgh. It is the first LEED certified "green" convention center in North America and one of the first in the world.
Designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, P.C., the $354 million riverfront landmark contains 313,400 sq. ft of exhibit space (236,900 sq. ft. of which is column-free), 76,500 sq. ft of additional exhibit space, a 31,610 sq. ft. ballroom, 51 meeting rooms, two 250-seat lecture halls, state of the art teleconference and telecommunications capabilities and 4¸500 sq.ft. of retail space (currently in development). The architect, Viñoly, began the design with a goal in mind of achieving the status of a "green" building. In 2003, the building was awarded a Gold LEED (standing for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, making it not only the first ever "green" convention center, but also the largest "green" building in the world.
The current building replaced the former convention center of the same name that was constructed in 1981. The old convention center was 131,000 sq. ft. and lacked a ballroom. Most of the old building was demolished to make way for the current structure which was built on the same site.
The convention center is home to prominent local conventions, such as the [Pittsburgh RV Show], [Pittsburgh Boat Show], [Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show] and the acclaimed [Pittsburgh International Auto Show]. It is quickly becoming one of the most sought after exhibition spaces in the nation, as groups from not only locally, but all over the country have chosen this venue for their events.
External links
- David L. Lawrence Convention Center [homepage]
- [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design]
- [U.S. Green Building Council]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.