Chicago convention goers will rejoice, knowing that the TVS-designed, $882 million, 3-million-square-foot McCormick Place West expansion opened August 2, eight months ahead of schedule and on budget. The West Building adds 470,000 square feet of exhibit space, 250,000 square feet of meeting space, and a 100,000-square-foot ballroom seating 10,000 people, one of the largest ballrooms in the world. A new enclosed walkway over Martin Luther King Boulevard connects the new building to the existing center and completes the boundaries of the enormous McCormick Square. The building’s brick on its west side—employed with precast concrete and glass—shows solidarity with the neighborhood’s historic buildings. The expansion building, which boasts a rooftop garden offering great views of the Windy City, has applied for LEED® certification from the U.S. Green Buildings Council. For more, visit the architect’s Web site.
(Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority.)