by Regina Garcia Cano, The Associated Press, April 10, 2018
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The multimillion-dollar expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center that officials say will allow the city to remain at the top of the list of trade show destinations will have a modern design tied by a ribbon-like roof on the outside and iconic imagery inside.
The board of directors of the agency that promotes Las Vegas will be presented with the final design Tuesday. The $860 million project that involves the construction of a 600,000-square-foot (55,741-square-meter) exhibition hall is expected to be completed by January 2021, in time to welcome the annual CES gadget show.
Renderings unveiled Monday show replicas of the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada sign and marquee of the Stardust hotel hanging at the new hall's atrium. Street and aerial views of the venue show the silver metallic ribbon roof arching as it reaches the atrium — with glass windows allowing a view of the colorful signs — extending across a road and curving up again to create another lobby.
"This ribbon roof becomes the central organizing feature of the entire campus," said Rob Svedberg, principal at Atlanta-based architecture and interior design firm tvsdesign. "It's quite simple and elegant. It basically lays across all the public circulation space of the building. So, wherever you see this ribbon is where you're meant to move."
The expansion, which will extend the convention center to the Las Vegas Strip, is part of a $1.4 billion project that also includes the renovation of every existing hall. The same law that authorized an increase in the room tax paid by guests of area hotels that's partially funding the Oakland Raiders' stadium in Las Vegas is also helping pay for the convention center project.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority expects the entire project to be finished in 2023. The agency responsible for promoting the destination has estimated that the expansion and renovation will attract an estimated 610,000 new convention attendees per year.
Svedberg said some utility and other work has begun at the site, where the Riviera hotel once stood. But construction will pick up this fall after the authority's board approves the maximum guaranteed price for the project.
Tvsdesign has partnered with local design firms for this venture. The authority has estimated that the expansion and renovation will lead to an estimated 13,800 construction jobs.
Chuck Bowling, the vice chair of the authority's board of directors said input from top trade shows was considered in the design to ensure that the facility meets their needs and brings them back year after year. The city hosted more than 6.6 million conventioneers last year.
"We know we are the number one trade show destination," Bowling said. "This addition ensures that we will maintain that position and will bring new customers."
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