Quote:
Originally Posted by lzppjb
Can they not go UP? If not on top of what they currently have, then on the next block or 2 they buy?
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Up is tough for a convention center. Have you been in those halls and ballrooms? They have 24' to 36' - or higher - clear heights (aka unobstructed floor to ceiling height). They also have to have as much open, column-free space as possible because columns block views and get in the way. Since the floor loads have to support the weight of cars, boats and all kinds of other heavy objects in the exhibit halls, it's difficult to have floors above a hall without significant support columns. An added factor is the loading docks - you can drive multiple semi-trucks
into the backstage area of the convention center to unload heavy/large objects that end up in the exhibit halls. Difficult to do that on a 2nd or 3rd floor.
That's why you rarely see a convention center with more than 2 floors, and almost all convention centers are sprawling messes.