The Urban Land recognized the Oklahoma City Convention Center Institute (ULI) Oklahoma as its 2022 Outstanding Public Initiative during the 8th annual Impact Awards last month. ULI Oklahoma’s Impact Awards recognizes projects that exemplify best practices in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities. The finalists were determined to best promote the creation of resilient communities, intelligent densification, and urbanization, as well as outstanding quality of design and construction.
Judges experienced in land use and development scored the finalists in terms of the project’s success in contributing to walkability, creating, or reinforcing a sense of place, and additional measures, including criteria appropriate to specific categories, such as excellence in preservation, degree of difficulty, and community significance impact.
“What an honor to receive this award from the Urban Land Institute,” said Barbara Beaton, Assistant General Manager of the OKC Convention Center. “To receive this honor, speaks to the hard work, persistence, and commitment of MAPS 3 and ASM Global, the center’s management firm. We’re proud to have safely opened in January 2021 and will continue to provide premier hospitality for our clients and their attendees.”
As the largest single project in the City’s history of Oklahoma City, the $293 million OKC Convention Center completed in December 2020 was on time, under budget and completely debt free. The facility more than doubled the size of the aging Cox Convention Center and elevated OKC’s capacity for hosting meetings and conventions. The building is east of Scissortail Park at 100 Mick Cornett Dr.
“The Convention Center is a historic project for Oklahoma City,” said David Todd, MAPS 3 project manager. “I’m most proud of was the focused coordination each team exhibited to get the job done. During construction, we built four other massive projects next to the site, including the OKC Streetcar, Scissortail Park, Omni Hotel and Oklahoma City Boulevard. As a result, we’ve transformed our downtown and created a gathering place for residents and visitors to enjoy for generations to come.”
The Convention Center’s design reflects Oklahoma City’s culture and history while the soaring glass walls and spacious balconies show off the stunning sunsets and sweeping views of Scissortail Park. The building’s sleek and modern design features materials intended for energy efficiency and resiliency against the weather.
The 510,000-square-foot interior includes a 200,730-square-foot exhibit hall on the first floor. About 45,000 square feet of meeting spaces are on all levels of the building, and many have operable walls to make the spaces flexible. Rooms can be configured to provide up to 27 meeting spaces. A 9,700-square-foot junior ballroom is on the third floor, and the building’s fourth floor features a 30,000-square-foot ballroom along with pre-function space and a large balcony overlooking Scissortail Park.
A $1.5 million public art installation of the award-winning “Virtual Sky” can be seen from the west side of the building. The installation features small LED lights that can be programmed for specific patterns and can also reflect the changing sky.
A $1.5 million public art installation of the award-winning “Virtual Sky” can be seen from west side of the building. The installation features small LED lights that can be programmed for specific patterns and can also reflect the changing sky.
