San Diego recently celebrated enhancements to one of its landmarks , the San Diego Convention Center Sails Pavilion.
Improvements to the 90,000-square-foot Sails Pavilion were completed in May following a 14-month design and construction schedule.
The project was completed under the $10 million budget and was delivered on time by the design/build team, led by Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc., Joseph Wong Design Associates, and Dealy Development, Inc.
Enhancements included additional glass walls and infill to enclose the space, an industry-standard trade show floor, state-of-the-art lighting system and a new cooling and heating system. Incorporating glass and lightweight structural cabling is designed to preserve the original open-air design and nautical theme.
“We’ve managed to keep the ambiance, beauty and integrity of the Sails area and make it very user-friendly,” said Fred Sainz, director of communications for the San Diego Convention Center Corp.
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Unique Challenges
The project, however, was not without its challenges. The San Diego Convention Center could not close its doors to clients who had booked the space years in advance, so the construction team made extra efforts to prevent disruptions to previously booked conventions.
In addition, the Convention Center is undergoing a massive 1.7 million-square-foot expansion, around and directly underneath the Sails Pavilion project. Material deliveries had to be strategically scheduled and managed, including airlifts via chopper to the Convention Center roof.
Douglas E. Barnhart CEO Doug Barnhart said design/build teams are an efficient project delivery system.
“If contractors are involved in the design process, there will be times when we can suggest alternative methods, material installations, and alternate material selections that contribute significantly to the economics of the project without detracting from the project’s aesthetics and value,” Barnhart said. “Design-build consistently delivers on-budget, on-time projects, like the Sails enhancements.”
– Convention Center
Prepared For Bookings
The upgrades and glass enclosure will enable the Convention Center to adequately accommodate 16 conventions scheduled prior to the opening of the expansion in September 2001. These conventions represent $142.7 million in direct delegate spending.
This column-free space gives the Convention Center a competitive advantage in attracting 59 conventions that may outgrow the center’s expansion of 525,000 square feet of exhibit space. These conventions represent $848.7 million in direct delegate spending.
More than 160 groups are booked to use the Sails Pavilion, including the San Diego International Auto Show, which has booked the center for the next 10 years. The estimated total amount of direct delegate spending for groups that are utilizing the Sails Pavilion is $1.3 billion.
