2017-11-27 17:49:22
SAN FRANCISCO’S MOSCONE CENTER RANKS AMONG THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CONVENTION CENTERS IN THE UNITED STATES — AND IT ALSO HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF THE BUSIEST. To accommodate growing demand and continue attracting the best and the brightest to the City by the Bay, the Center is embarking on a massive, $500 million expansion project with a slated completion in late 2018. THE BIG PICTURE Anchored in the heart of SoMa/Yerba Buena, the proposed design aims to create an iconic sense of arrival, enhancing its presence on Howard Street while reconnecting with the streetscape and surrounding neighborhood. The Center’s north and south buildings will feature more than 500,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit and meeting space, almost double the space currently offered in its largest hall. Light-filled, pre-function lobbies will offer dramatic views of the city and surrounding Yerba Buena Gardens which are surrounded by major museums including the new San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), hotels and shopping complexes. Designed by noted architecture firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill with the help of Mark Cavagnero Associates, The Moscone Center will be a place that delegates beg to come back to. A widened, more welcoming Third Street will give the Center’s eastern entrance ample access to lush gardens, abundant shopping and outdoor dining. Attendees will also have the option of moving between Moscone North and Moscone South via two pedestrian bridges (one of which will be enclosed and be the home of a new installation by Leo Villareal, the famed artist who created The Bay Lights), lessening street-level congestion along Howard Street. Myriad outdoor terraces, perfect for open-air events and receptions, will boast dramatic city views. GOING GREEN With sustainability in mind, the Center aims to achieve LEED® Platinum certification, the highest level established by the U.S. Green Building Council. The Moscone Center also hopes to hit another green benchmark: to maintain less carbon emissions per delegate than any major convention center in North America. Here’s a look at the Center’s sustainable highlights: • Aims to achieve the highest LEED® certification possible • Less carbon emissions per delegate than any major convention center in North America • Recovery of 15 million gallons of groundwater annually for reuse in the Center, as well as for irrigation at neighboring parks and street cleaning • Largest rooftop photovoltaic (solar panels) array in San Francisco • Zero-emissions electricity • Daylight harvesting to offset electrical lighting MORE INFORMATION The Moscone Center remains open during construction. For more information, visit sftravel.com/meeting-planners. YERBA BUENA
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