Puerto Rico Convention Center
Sea-inspired architectural design
Project Facts
| Location | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Owner | Puerto Rico Convention District Authority |
| Size | 550,000 SF |
| Status | Completed 2005 |
Overview
The Puerto Rico Convention Center is one of Latin America’s foremost technological marvels, elevating the island nation to prominence in business and tourism. Seamlessly integrating the elements of San Juan Bay into its architectural and interior design, its crowning glory is the translucent wave roof. This remarkable facility is a vital component of Puerto Rico’s most extensive development project in its history.
Services
About the project
The Dr. Pedro Rosselló González Puerto Rico Convention Center is the largest and most technologically advanced convention center in Latin America and the Caribbean. The center is located on a seaside site in the heart of San Juan.
The signature swooping steel and glass roof emulates sea waves, an image used in tourism advertising campaigns throughout Puerto Rico, and serves as an iconic canopy over the arrival plaza. As structural engineer, Walter P Moore developed a sinuous pipe grid to form a pair of curved shells that span over 350 feet in two directions. Glass skylights and an 80-foot tall glass curtain wall system complete the enclosure. The structure was built on a site with fragile soils and was designed to safely withstand Category 5 hurricane-force winds and Zone 3 seismic loads.
