LendLease Turner has been selected as the design-build team that will coordinate and construct the $1.5 billion expansion of New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
The LEED Silver-certified expansion includes the addition of 90,000 square feet of permanent exhibit space, combined with the existing exhibit space to create an approximately 500,000-square-foot exhibition hall; 45,000 square feet of new state-of-the-art meeting room space; a 55,000 square-foot ballroom, the largest of its kind in the New York region; and a green roof terrace and pavilion accommodating 1,500 people for outdoor events.
"The Javits Center is one of New York State's greatest economic assets, and this project will turn this building into a 21st century marvel, a convention center of the caliber that New York deserves," says Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Howard Zemsky.
The panel's recommendation was approved by the Board of Directors of the New York Convention Center Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Empire State Development which owns the convention center's property and oversees major construction work at the facility. The project is expected to generate $393 million in new annual economic activity, reduce area traffic congestion, and increase the efficiency of Javits Center operations to allow for new and expanded events.
"With these new state-of-the-art facilities, we will be able to attract the world's best conferences and events and drive economic activity throughout the region for decades to come," Zemsky added.
The expansion will allow the Javits the chance to attract higher-spending large-scale trade shows and conventions, while enhancing the quality of life for the West Side community. In addition, the construction of an on-site truck marshaling, loading, and storage facility will relocate 20,000 event-related trucks off area streets each year, improving neighborhood traffic flow and pedestrian safety. As a result, the move-in and move-out process for events will be reduced by 30 percent, leading to an additional 20 days for new events and additional economic activity.
"For the past 30 years, the Javits Center has fueled the Empire State's economic engines, and thanks to Governor Cuomo's vision, we will unlock this New York icon's true potential and host the most dynamic events anywhere in the world," says Alan Steel, president and CEO of the New York Convention Center Operating Corporation, which operates the Javits Center. "With a recent renovation and a rapidly changing West Side neighborhood, there has never been better time to visit the Javits Center, and this new project will showcase our spaces to new audiences for generations to come."
The Javits Center will remain open during construction.