NEW ORLEANS

The original 1984 design for the New Orleans Convention Center by Perez Associates, New Orleans, made allowance for future expansion. A short five years later, Perez, Billes/Manning Architects, New Orleans, have completed their design for an 899,335-sq-ft expansion, to open in spring 1991. Adjacent to the historic warehouse district, the $86 million project will double the size of the existing center by adding 300,000 sq ft of contiguous, subdivisible exhibition space to the current grade-level halls. The new halls are constructed of exposed structural steel with 82,500 sq ft of column-free space. A 40,000-sq-ft ballroom and 75,000 sq ft of new meeting rooms will be spread out over two upper levels. New prefunction and lobby spaces will also be added, along with new truck docks. An unusual roof design channels rainfall directly into the river. An enclosed pedestrian bridge connects the center to current and planned river-front developments.