The Raleigh Convention Center, at just over 500,000-SF, is the premier civic hospitality building in Raleigh and Wake County. With its vast exhibit hall, 16 meeting rooms, and a grand ballroom seating 2,400 people, the new facility is estimated to host more than 400,000 visitors per year. The building is arranged on three levels with the lowest being the 150,000-SF exhibit hall. Above this, at the Salisbury Street level are 30,000-SF of meeting rooms, and the third and uppermost level is for the 32,000-SF grand ballroom. The building occupies a full city block at the street level and rises to a total height of approximately 100 feet. The exhibit hall, loading dock and services expand below three adjacent city streets (McDowell, Cabarrus and Salisbury). As a result, the building required the construction of three bridges. The bridge at McDowell was constructed in two phases so that traffic leading into town would not be disrupted.
The LEED Silver Certified Raleigh Convention Center was the first public building in the City of Raleigh to be certified under the LEED Green Building Rating System. The facility was constructed on a former brownfield site, which went through an extensive remediation process to make the site usable. The team developed a comprehensive strategy for site sustainability, water use reduction, energy efficiency and environmentally friendly materials.
