Richmond Convention Center Expansion

OWNER

Greater Richmond Convention Centre Authority

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Construction Cost
$137.5 million

Completion Date
2003

Project Size
The new facility totals over 600,000 GSF

80,000 SF of contiguous exhibit hall space

80,000 SF of meeting space, and a 30,000 SF ballroom.

Richmond Convention Center Expansion

Richmond
Virginia

Walter P Moore provided structural engineering design services for a major expansion of the Richmond Convention Center. The original convention center opened in 1986 and due to rapid growth of the convention industry and the city of Richmond, the existing facility was expanded to meet current and future needs. The expansion of the facility allows the metropolitan area to maintain its competitive edge for retaining current convention business, as well as to attract and take advantage of new convention center business opportunities.

The exhibit hall roof consists of 16-foot deep steel box-trusses and long-span joists, and adds 120,000 square feet of new exhibit space. The renovated exhibit hall includes demolition of half of the existing structure, while leaving the roof structure in place. Innovative and carefully sequenced structural modifications allowed the existing exhibit hall to remain operational, despite the elimination of several existing columns. Typical column-free bays of 125 feet by 144 feet along with the capacity to support substantial rigging loads will allow the exhibit halls to be used in a wide variety of ways. Additional components of the expansion include a 30,000 square foot, two-story ballroom building that is joined to the Exhibit Hall by two pedestrian connector bridges, and a six-level, 600-car parking deck.