Enter the Eco-Hall: Convention Centers Grow Green

Recently, while attempting to ignore the gut-wrenching take-off of my DASH8 turboprop bound for Richmond VA, I started leafing through Air Canada’s in-flight magazine, enRoute, and came across an interesting highlight.

The single page feature was focused on the avant-garde architecture of (wait for it) convention centers! Upon reading further, I learned that they were also some of the most eco-friendly exhibition spaces to date.

This raised my attention as I’ve had to design exhibits around some pretty uninspired show halls in my day; but these were far from that. They were elegant, refined and even sexy trade show “cathedrals” with a lot more going on than air walls, bad carpet and even worse concessions.

The article was titled Four Eco-Friendly Convention Centres and it highlighted these four buildings:

Boston Convention & Exhibition Center

Part sports stadium, part George Lucas creation, this convention centre went unconventional with a dramatically arced roof and imposing steel trusses. Twelve thousand tons of steel were used to create a building that includes a ballroom and art gallery, sensor-controlled lighting and a non-chemical-based water treatment system. 

Vancouver Convention Centre

“Living roof” takes on a whole new meaning when it’s home to over 400,000 indigenous plants and bees. Part of an expansion project that tripled the size of the harbourfront space and incorporated a fish habitat into the foundation, the roof was designed to mimic a Gulf Island beachfront to encourage birds to nest.

Melbourne Convention Centre

This expansive glass structure, perched on the edge of the Yarra River, allows enough natural light in to help heat the inside during the winter and reduce the need for artificial lighting year-round. In addition to radiant slab heating and cooling in the foyer, each room is equipped with an intelligent lectern – touch-screen software that makes presentations a breeze.

Allstream Centre, Toronto

The Art Deco details in this former automotive factory – think tulip-shaped light fixtures and a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired ballroom ceiling – add flair to the greenest conference facility in Canada. The sprawling 160,000-square-foot limestone fortress of environmentally responsible bells and whistles features a white reflective roof and is powered exclusively by renewable energy sources.

This is all great, but what does it mean to the average show-goer?

Is there a green movement in the event venue industry? Is it simply about energy and cost savings or are there actually event managers out there driving the trend for greener venues? An event like GREENBUILD for example, with its focus on eco-friendly construction and development, already appears to seek out locations such as the environmentally conscious Phoenix Convention Center or the city of Chicago; a leader in LEED certified building projects. Regardless of the reasoning behind this trend, a quick online search reveals that it is gaining traction.

With so many shows, events and congresses moving from city to city, wouldn’t it be interesting if this greener direction became a new criterion with which they selected their next stop? Will these forward-thinking convention spaces, and the municipalities that foster their development, reap the financial rewards?

Looking back at the tradeshow business, it has certainly been one of the most wasteful industries around… and builders and clients alike are pushing for greener solutions every day.  I for one hope that the trend continues and expands beyond the exhibits, with show managers and event coordinators searching out and demanding greener venues as well.

While sitting in the terminal awaiting another bumpy flight home and doing some local research, I noticed that even the Richmond Convention Center is promoting “Virgina Green” , an eco-campaign for the local hospitality industry. I can only hope this drives more event business (and air traffic) to this great city. Maybe then the YYZ-RIC run will warrant a larger plane… and the only thing shaken will be my martini!