Virginia Beach Convention Center

The Virginia Beach Convention Center (VBCC) is a large convention and exhibition facility located at 1000 19th Street in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It opened in 2005 and is the largest building in the city of Virginia Beach by its total site area. The convention center was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and built by Turner Construction Company, with a construction cost of $207 million. Celebrated for its striking nautical-themed architecture and groundbreaking environmental credentials, the facility serves as a centerpiece of Virginia Beach's broader civic and economic development strategy. The Virginia Beach Convention Center was the first convention center in the United States to earn LEED® Gold certification as an existing building from the U.S. Green Building Council.

History and Predecessor Facilities

The site at 19th Street has a long history as a hub for conventions and public gatherings in Virginia Beach. The Pavilion Convention Center was conceived during the 1970s as part of a strategy to develop a year-round market for Virginia Beach's many oceanfront hotel rooms, and was positioned prominently at the end of the Virginia Beach–Norfolk Expressway, intended to serve as a kind of monumental gateway to the resort strip. The Pavilion was constructed by Walshe and Ashe with Odell Associates, Inc. between 1975 and 1981. In 1981, the Virginia Beach Pavilion Convention Center opened with space for exhibition halls and a performance theater.

Before the Pavilion era, the city's primary public assembly venue was a geodesic structure known as The Dome. The Alan B. Shepard Convention Center was built in 1958 as a geodesic dome auditorium; the name was later shortened to the Virginia Beach Civic Center but became best known by its unofficial name: The Dome. It was considered an engineering marvel and the first building of its kind in the country when built in 1958, but by the 1980s the city was looking for ways to improve and revitalize the aging structure. The Dome was demolished on September 9, 1994.

By the early 2000s, the Pavilion Convention Center had itself become too limited for the city's ambitions. When the city's existing meeting pavilion became too small and outdated to meet guest needs, the City of Virginia Beach partnered with Clark Nexsen and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) to design a new convention center. The Pavilion was demolished in 2005 for the construction of the new convention center.

Construction and Development

The City of Virginia Beach selected Turner Construction Company as construction manager "at-risk" for the new convention center, and Turner partnered with two local firms, Techcon and Sussex Development, to oversee all construction activities for the project. Turner Construction selected Techcon, a Norfolk-based minority-owned firm, and Sussex Development, based in Virginia Beach, as partners on the construction management team.

Construction first began in the early 2000s, and was built in two stages. The phased approach was deliberate: this allowed the Pavilion to remain fully operational during construction of the new facility. In Phase IA, scheduled for completion in May 2005, a little more than half the building was constructed to the east of the current Pavilion. As soon as Phase IA was completed, staff occupied the new portion of the convention center and the Pavilion was demolished. Phase IB, the second half of the new building, was built west to east to tie into the section completed in Phase IA, completing the balance of the exhibit and meeting room space and finishing work on the loading docks. Stage 1 was completed in July 2005, and Phase 2 was completed in January 2007.

SOM, in conjunction with their local partner, Norfolk-based Clark Nexsen, had the foresight to recycle materials from the former Pavilion facility — including steel, copper, aluminum, concrete and cinder blocks — and reuse materials like asphalt in construction of the new facility, which was built on the location of the original Pavilion Convention Center, thereby reducing the cost of infrastructure improvements.

The mechanical and electrical teams focused on efficiency, controls, and standby power as they designed a 2,800-ton central chilled water plant to serve the center and an electrical system that supports more than 2.5 million watts dedicated to floor boxes, providing flexibility for various conventions.

Architecture and Design

The new Virginia Beach Convention Center was conceived by city planners as the crown jewel of the city's 40-year master revitalization plan, and architects were asked to design a state-of-the-art structure that would help give the historic beach resort town a contemporary cosmopolitan flair. Chicago-based architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the center with a maritime theme.

A soaring 147-foot glass and steel tower pays homage to the city's historic lighthouse, while lightweight trusses support a curving glass curtain wall. As project manager Jim Partin explained, the front glass wall, which is tall and curving, is meant to be reminiscent of a sail; a tower in the design is somewhat like a lighthouse or even the tower of a ship; and the roof of the building is a long, curving wing-like roof, about 300 feet long with a gentle curve — resembling the wing of an airplane, in keeping with the Navy theme.

The center includes four reconfigurable halls with 40-foot ceilings and a 240-foot clear span roof — a significant feat of engineering, as the roof is one of the largest column-free spans in the United States. The lobby features a panoramic video screen that displays both commissioned digital artwork and event information. The convention center's video art wall is the first of its size in the country — four 90-foot-wide, 9-foot-high walls that total 360 feet wide of projection space — and the wall continually showcases contemporary artists.

The building stands 147 feet tall, covers a gross area of 516,522 square feet, and occupies a site area of 37.80 acres. The exhibit hall can seat up to 11,840 people with theater seating. The facility has over 31,029 square feet of ballroom space, spread across three rooms, which can seat up to 2,000 people with banquet seating and 3,108 with theater seating. In addition to the ballrooms, the convention center also has 26 meeting rooms with 28,929 square feet of meeting space between its two stories.

Capturing abundant natural light and stunning beach and city views was a priority in the design, as was hurricane protection and energy efficiency. While the glass curtain wall serves as a striking design element, it also provides powerful hurricane protection; the interior lites of the insulating curtain wall assemblies are made with a laminated PVB interlayer that, if the glass is impacted — even by debris blown at hurricane-force wind speeds — may crack but helps keep the glazing in the framing system, helping to prevent debris from penetrating the structure.

Sustainability and Certifications

Since its completion, the Virginia Beach Convention Center has become the centerpiece of a 40-year master plan to green Virginia Beach and reinvigorate the classic resort town. The facility's environmental achievements set national benchmarks for the convention industry.

The Virginia Beach Convention Center is the first convention center in the country to achieve LEED® Gold certification for Existing Buildings, and also represents the Commonwealth of Virginia's largest building (over 515,000 square feet) to achieve LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings. Sustainable features include energy-efficient glazing and lighting and HVAC systems programmed to conserve electricity during off hours; these elements helped the center achieve "Virginia Green" certification from a statewide program to reduce the environmental impacts of the tourism industry.

A ceremony to accept the LEED Gold plaque from the U.S. Green Building Council took place at the VBCC, where 2nd District Congressman Glenn Nye and Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr. participated.

Awards and Recognition

The Virginia Beach Convention Center has accumulated an extensive list of honors since it opened. Awards include: the Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel National Award from the American Institute of Steel Construction (2008); Virginia Green Certification from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (2007); Prime Site Award from Facilities & Destinations Magazine (2007); Public Works Project of the Year Award from the American Public Works Association (2008); Virginia Beach Planning Commission Honor Award, Exceptional Public Facility (2005); and Best Institutional Public Building: First Honor Award from the Hampton Roads Association for Commercial Real Estate (2006).

Additional recognition includes the AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Award; a BusinessWeek/Architectural Record Citation for Excellence; the Trade Show Executive Innovation Award; and the Convention South Magazine Reader's Choice Award.

The Virginia Beach Convention Center was named a "Best Venue" for 2018–2019, as voted by International Live Events Association members.

Civic Role and Community Use

Beyond hosting regional and national conventions, trade shows, and corporate events, the Virginia Beach Convention Center plays an active role in the life of the local community. All of Virginia Beach's high schools under Virginia Beach City Public Schools have held their graduations each year at the Virginia Beach Convention Center since 2008. Academy information nights for rising high schoolers are also held in the convention center each November, with booths for each high school and special program.

The Virginia Beach Convention Center is located at 1000 19th Street in Virginia Beach, just off the Virginia Beach Expressway and across the street from the Virginia Beach Sports Center. With a prime location just minutes from the bustling Oceanfront, the Virginia Beach Convention Center is surrounded by a choice of hotels, restaurants, entertainment, and other amenities — all steeped in the coastal charm that draws more than 14 million visitors to the shores every year.

The facility is able to host a wide range of events — including corporate retreats, executive board meetings, multi-venue conferences, large-scale conventions, and sports events. The site provides free parking, with a total of 2,230 spaces available.