Raleigh Convention Center
Encyclopedia
The Raleigh Convention Center is a convention
and exhibition facility in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina
that opened in September 2008. The lead architect was Obrien/Atkins Associates.
Located at 500 South Salisbury Street, the three-level 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) building contains an 150000 square feet (13,935.5 m²) exhibit hall, twenty meeting rooms and a 32000 square feet (2,972.9 m²) ballroom.
The ballroom on the highest level can seat up to 2,715 persons (banquet-style) or 3,630 persons (theater-style). The exhibit hall on the lowest level can hold up to 790 booths or seat up to 6,800 persons (banquet-style) or 9,600 persons (theater-style). Extensive acoustics work was performed to not only provide sound isolation between adjacent activities within the center, but also to control noise output to the surrounding community.
The facility is more than double the size of the older convention center that was erected in 1977, renovated in 1997, and torn down in February 2006.There had been controversy about the older building as well as the site of the new building.
The building cost $225 million dollars to construct. A new Marriott
hotel named Marriott City Center was built to provide lodging for visitors and now connects to the Convention Center.
The west-facing wall of the new convention center boasts a large public art piece called the 'Shimmer Wall' that contains metal plates in the form of an oak tree backed by LED
lights. The oak tree represents Raleigh's nickname, the 'City of Oaks'. This wall was sponsored by Cree Inc.
, a local company that manufactures LED lights.
On June 4, 2010 the City opened the Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater
adjacent to the Convention Center.
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
and exhibition facility in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
that opened in September 2008. The lead architect was Obrien/Atkins Associates.
Located at 500 South Salisbury Street, the three-level 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) building contains an 150000 square feet (13,935.5 m²) exhibit hall, twenty meeting rooms and a 32000 square feet (2,972.9 m²) ballroom.
The ballroom on the highest level can seat up to 2,715 persons (banquet-style) or 3,630 persons (theater-style). The exhibit hall on the lowest level can hold up to 790 booths or seat up to 6,800 persons (banquet-style) or 9,600 persons (theater-style). Extensive acoustics work was performed to not only provide sound isolation between adjacent activities within the center, but also to control noise output to the surrounding community.
The facility is more than double the size of the older convention center that was erected in 1977, renovated in 1997, and torn down in February 2006.There had been controversy about the older building as well as the site of the new building.
The building cost $225 million dollars to construct. A new Marriott
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
hotel named Marriott City Center was built to provide lodging for visitors and now connects to the Convention Center.
The west-facing wall of the new convention center boasts a large public art piece called the 'Shimmer Wall' that contains metal plates in the form of an oak tree backed by LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
lights. The oak tree represents Raleigh's nickname, the 'City of Oaks'. This wall was sponsored by Cree Inc.
Cree Inc.
Cree Inc. is a multinational manufacturer of semiconductor materials and devices, headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. Cree is noted for their improvements in light emitting diode technologies. Those improvements in lumens per watt suggest a time when LEDs will displace other lighting...
, a local company that manufactures LED lights.
On June 4, 2010 the City opened the Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater
Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater
The ' is a performing arts amphitheatre in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is adjacent to the Raleigh Convention Center, which is owned and operated by City of Raleigh; bookings at the venue are managed by Live Nation....
adjacent to the Convention Center.