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Workers halfway home in effort to
complete expansion by November 2003
HOUSTON, Texas (September 17,
2002) - It's all downhill from here for construction
crews at the George R Brown Convention Center.
Expansion work at Houston's premier meeting
place has reached the midway point and remains on schedule
for completion in November 2003. Groundbreaking took
place on July 28, 2001.
"So far, so good," said Dawn
Ullrich, director of the George R. Brown Convention
Center. "Structural steel is about 70% complete
on the south end of the building and we're just about
ready to begin steel work on the north end. It's exciting
to see the building take shape."
When steel is in place, the metal panels
that form the building "skin" are expected
to be installed starting in December. The building is
expected to be fully enclosed by July.
When the $165 million project is complete,
the George R. Brown Convention Center will feature more
than 1 million square feet of exhibition, meeting and
registration space. In addition, a 1,200-room Hilton
hotel is being built across the street and will be adjoined
to the convention center with a two-story pedestrian
skybridge.
"The additional exhibit space in
concert with 1,200 hotel rooms across the street will
elevate Houston to the first tier among America's convention
cities," Ullrich said. "This combination of
facility space and hotel rooms will allow Houston to
compete for some of the world's most important conventions,
such as World Space Congress."
The Houston Convention Center Hotel Corporation
reports that construction of the hotel is also progressing
on schedule.
| GEORGE
R. BROWN CONVENTION CENTER: BEFORE AND AFTER |
|
Exhibit Halls
Exhibit Space
Gross Space
Contiguous Exhibit Space
1st Level
3rd Level
Registration Space
Show Offices
Conference Rooms
Meeting Rooms
Meeting Room Space
Lobby Entrances
Permanent Concession Stands
Freight Doors
Drive-in Doors
Loading Docks
|
Today
4
451,500 sf
1,150,000 sf
371,500 sf
99,000 sf
53,000 sf
12
4
41
45,000 sf
3
5
24
4
36
|
Post-Expansion
7
853,000 sf
1,850,000 sf
639,000 sf
214,000 sf
99,000 sf
18
4
105
123,000 sf
5
10
39
7
63 |
|
|
| FIRST
FLOOR AFTER EXPANSION |
Hall A 130,000
sf
Hall B 127,000 sf
Hall C 125,000 sf
Hall D 127,500 sf
Hall E 130,000 sf
- The ceiling height in all exhibit halls is
between 30 and 35 feet.
- The floor load limit is 1,000 pounds per square
foot.
|
|
|
THIRD
FLOOR AFTER EXPANSION |
Hall F
124,000 sf
Hall G 90,000 sf
- The ceiling height in Halls F and G is between
30 and 35 feet.
- The ceiling height for meeting rooms is between
16 and 20 feet.
- The floor load limit on this level is 400
pounds per square foot.
- Hall G includes flexible, telescopic seating
to accommodate 6,600.
- General Assembly Theater has theater-style
seating to accommodate 3,600.
- George Bush Grand Ballroom features 31,590
contiguous square feet and can be subdivided
into three smaller ballrooms.
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Contact:
Pete Radowick
713-853-8077
peter.radowick@cityofhouston.net
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