The convention center of the future must be welcomed into the family of public architecture and celebrate both the city and the culture of the people.
Awakening ‘the Sublime Giant’
BY NIK KARALIS WOODS BAGOT
In the context of the contemporary city, the typology of the convention center will gain significance as an impor- tant cultural function and a fulcrum of connectivity to a wider global audience. The traditional prestige of the art gallery and museum is slowly being overtaken by retail and other interactive buildings. People are replacing paintings as the real point of focus as we move into a new era of innovation and knowledge. We are witnessing the replacement of meaning in building types. This places a new responsibility and burden on
the emphasis of new convention center designs. They can no longer behave as “on” and “off” building types, depend- ent totally on the delegate calendar. Theymust be adaptable and flexible enough to combine different functions to remain financially viable and respond to the cities’ civic and entertainment requirements. Due to their size and downtimes, they must meet carbon-emission-reduction targets. As the purpose of convention centers moves away from the basic processing of large congregations of people toward culturally integrated civic buildings, our thinking about both their function and their identity needs to change dramat- continued on page 49
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LIFE LINE: The “concourse spine” of theWoods Bagot concept for the Shijiazhuang International Exhibition and Convention Centre, in Shijiazhuang, China, connects convention center spaces with a hotel, restaurants, and retail stores, creating a cultural and civic space that is designed to be continually active.