Rules of thumb in the design and layout of convention centers have exhausted their shelf life. Spaces should stimulate the imagination and comfort the senses.
The Liberated Convention Center
’’ BY BARBARA HILLIER INDEPENDENT ARCHITECT
Architecture is to life what theater is to performance. Each project is a discovery of the chimerical possibilities. The architectural challenge I see is one that liberates the convention center from its prosaic, form-driven past and seeks new forms based on the specific site conditions. Planning and research should not be misunderstood as frivolous time wasters—they are just the opposite.
Here are three notions about the future of the convention center: Multitaskingas a way of life.We are free to choose how, when, and where we work, play, eat, and sleep. The time
we spend at a convention is leveraged by the collateral activities in which we engage at the same time. This is what we most value, because the “in-between” is where we process our experiences and find meaning in our lives. While urban centers can take advantage of sightseeing, cultural venues, hotels, and restaurants, suburban centers need to consider the human appetite for social interaction. Think mixed-use. Smaller may be inevitable.Economic and political factors are resulting in increased attention to local versus global.
The continuing stream of new technology will likely make smaller, more regional conventions a smart investment. Embed- ded microchips have already migrated to our clothing and to the things we carry. It is widely believed that in the future, embedded technology will occupy the very skin of the planet, digitally managing decisions on everything from energy and the environment to transportation and commerce. It won’t be long before commercialized holography will allow people to attend conventions while sitting at home or in their office.
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THE END OF THE LONG, LONG HALLWAY: At left, Barbara Hillier’s conceptual sketch for the IrvingConvention Center at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas. Hillier’s design rethinks the traditionally horizontal lines of convention centers in order to foster interactions between people. “It creates a different energy,” she said.