Most showrooms have NO WINDOWS.  When the showrooms are designed, they are usually designed with fake windows since they need hard/flat wall surface for displaying their goods.

 

I would think the showrooms would be in the center of the building, without windows, and that the public spaces - lobbies, hallways - will go around the outside.  And that's what the windows will benefit.

 

This isn't a snarky question, but have you been into a show room?

If we are talking "showrooms" in the convention business lingo, you would not want windows.  Unless you're going to throw a bunch of money into window treaments that block out the light.

 

If this is the "showroom" where the medical devices will be permanently on display for sale, then perhaps windows would be in order....

If we are talking "showrooms" in the convention business lingo, you would not want windows.  Unless you're going to throw a bunch of money into window treaments that block out the light.

 

If this is the "showroom" where the medical devices will be permanently on display for sale, then perhaps windows would be in order....

 

Thats what I said earlier, most showrooms have very few windows.  Most showrooms have inside corridors and/or an open air design so all the showrooms face inward.

From the rendering it appears that the east side of the building which faces the mall with have a  walkway by the windows, and it looks like the showrooms on the north-side of the buildings will have windows inside them.

 

http://www.clevelandmedicalmart.com/about/architecture/

Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center

 

News

Weekly Construction Update - 2/4/2011

Project Updates :: February 4, 2011

 

More than 200 construction workers are currently on site. Since January 3, the construction crews have been preparing the entire 1 million square foot area for demolition and abatement, including clearing off the surface of the historic Cleveland malls, installing construction trailers, and preparing the five buildings located at the corner of St. Clair and Ontario for demolition. The 235,000 square-foot, four-story Medical Mart will be constructed at the corner of St. Clair and Ontario Streets.

 

Building Demolition Progress: During the past month, the Ontario parking garage was the first building to be completely demolished. The second building, the Chicago Title building, has been demolished this week from east to west utilizing an excavator. The final two west columns of the Chicago Title building will be demolished over the weekend, closing the sidewalk along Ontario Street. Flaggers will be used to control traffic while demolition activities are taking place. Abatement has been completed at the Sportsman Restaurant. The County Annex building is under full asbestos containment. Crews are removing construction materials and debris from the 113 St. Clair building.

 

Convention Center: Under Malls B and C in the Cleveland Convention Center, crews are nearing completion on asbestos abatement work, clearing the way for demolition. Abatement continues in the Convention Center parking garage, mechanical rooms, tunnels, and storage rooms. Once the abatement is complete, demolition can begin.

Crews will begin demolition of the loading dock on Mall C following electrical service termination. Crews will also layout existing and new columns and install temporary lighting in the Convention Center on both sides of Lakeside Drive. Crews are also beginning layout of caissons and will begin drilling pre-cores south of Lakeside Drive. Cleveland Thermal began 16" steam line valve and vault installation along St. Clair Drive.

 

Mall Work: On the surface of the Malls, topsoil removal on Mall C is complete while topsoil removal including concrete roof topping continues on Mall B. Demolition of the roof on Mall B is scheduled to begin in the near future following power shutoff.

 

Public Auditorium Connector (1964 addition): Crews began relocating electrical equipment from Public Auditorium earlier this week. Two walls will eventually be demolished and rebuilt in order to transfer electrical equipment. Crews are also setting up asbestos containments at the Public Auditorium connector.

 

The Cleveland office of Turner Construction Company and Cleveland-based URS were selected in May, 2010 as the design-build team for the Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center. Turner Construction Company will serve as the design-build contractor and URS will fulfill the role of architect of record for the project. LMN Architects has been creating conceptual plans and design development drawings as the design architect. LMN will handle the first two phases of a three-step design process.

 

http://www.clevelandmedicalmart.com/news/2011/02/weekly-construction-update---242011.php

BTW if you go to the webcam they have added a couple more angles.

 

http://www.clevelandmedicalmart.com/about/live-web-cam/

The county building is almost down. They have a wrecking ball. I guess there won't be an implosion. :-(

Which county building??

Annex

Construction Update - 02/17/11

Project Updates :: February 17, 2011

 

 

Construction continues on schedule on the project as more than 200 construction workers continue to work on site.

 

Building demolition update: In January, crews began by demolishing the Justice Center Parking Garage and then completed demolition of the Chicago Title Building on January 30. The work crews separate all of the debris into concrete, metal, and other products for recycling. More than 95% of the demolished building residue will be reused, including the concrete rubble and metal. Crews actively pour water on the demolition site and recycling piles to prevent excess dust.

 

Abatement has been completed at the Sportsman Restaurant and demolition is scheduled for the end of March.

 

The big construction site news this week is that the demolition of the County Annex Building began on Tuesday, February 15 utilizing a special demolition crane and wrecking ball. The demolition crane is an 85-ton crane, measuring 170 feet high with a 6,000 pound wrecking ball. The crane is set up on the NW side of the building and is wrecking the building in small quadrants beginning in the NW corner, working from level six down to level two. The demolition has continued to move west to east and a significant portion of the building has been demolished in three days.

 

113 St. Clair Building debris removal and containment are complete on the first five floors of the building. Construction materials and considerable debris are being removed from the top three floors. Abatement is roughly 60% complete in the 113 St. Clair Building.

 

On Mall C, crews have begun demolishing the roof of the old Convention Center, above Hall D. Demolition of the ballroom roof has also begun. With this type of below-ground demolition taking place, the well point system has been installed and is operational, monitoring the water table level. Coming up with be the relocation of gas lines along Lakeside Avenue.

 

On Mall B, crews are continuing to demolish the roof near the loading dock, moving west to east along Lakeside Drive. Trucks continue to pour into and out of the St. Clair Avenue site entrance with the removal of Mall B top soil, concrete, and roof top. In the meantime, pre-core drilling for caissons continues on the south end near St. Clair Avenue. This process involves drilling a dinner plate-sized hole down to solid rock under Mall B. The first four cores have been drilled, all measuring in the neighborhood of 150 feet deep before hitting solid rock. The fifth drilling is currently underway. This will provide the holes for the caissons. Also on the south end of Mall B, Cleveland Thermal completed the installation of 16" steam line valves and the vault.

 

Under the Malls, the final ballasts and lamps will be removed once the emergency lights have been de-energized.

 

Finally, Public Auditorium separation prep continues quickly as sections of the connector are already under full abatement, the old security booth area is being prepped for abatement, the east tunnels abatement work is completed and the fire alarm separation work has been 95% completed. The new security booth and ADA ramp have both been installed and are operational.

 

http://www.clevelandmedicalmart.com/news/2011/02/construction-update---021711.php

 

 

On Mall C, crews have begun demolishing the roof of the old Convention Center, above Hall D. Demolition of the ballroom roof has also begun. With this type of below-ground demolition taking place, the well point system has been installed and is operational, monitoring the water table level. Coming up with be the relocation of gas lines along Lakeside Avenue.

 

What is the "well point system"?

^I believe it prevents water from entering the excavation area.

Dem sum big holes....

 

^ yep, dems is....

 

Pretty cool, if you ask me.

 

Pretty cool, if you ask me.

 

Actually looks damn cold. Brrrrr.....

I like the holes...  :-D

Got a good chuckle from that picture.  I sent a link for that picture to a friend who, after taking a cursory glance, responded "What is that, Libiya?"

So, are the cranes on the bottom floor of the old convention center in that pic?  Yes, the holes are deep, but for some reason, I was thinking it would be deeper.

^I believe so..... remember that one major reason the old CC was outdated is because the ceilings were too low.

 

vv I guess so....

My understanding is that there's some kind of "bathtub" foundation that they're digging to, and that they intend to reuse.  So most of the ceiling height gain would be from raising the roof rather than dropping the floor.

^I believe so..... remember that one major reason the old casino was outdated is because the ceilings were too low.

 

Got the casino on mind? lol

My understanding is that there's some kind of "bathtub" foundation that they're digging to, and that they intend to reuse.  So most of the ceiling height gain would be from raising the roof rather than dropping the floor.

I believe that they are gaining  about 2-3 feet by moving infrastructure from under the floor and lowering the floor closer to the "bathtub", but most of the gains in height will be realized by raisng the Mall/ceiling.

Look at all of the columns north of Lakeside in the picture.  Another reason why the convention center is outdated.  I can't wait to see the finished product.

 

Does anyone know how far apart the columns will be once it is completed?

^ I thought the last plans I saw had 90-foot column spacing, unless that has changed.

Nothing new really

 

Cleveland's old convention center open to the elements

 

The Plain Dealer will provide weekly updates on construction of the $465 million medical mart and convention center.

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Construction crews have dug holes the size of football fields in Malls B and C, exposing the existing underground convention center to  snowy weather.

Workers are demolishing the ballroom roof, but they're protecting the floor, which will be used in a new convention center, said Jeff Appelbaum, Cuyahoga County's pointman for the project.

 

The county has partnered with Chicago-based MMPI to build the taxpayer-financed convention center and connected medical mart, which are scheduled to open in 2013.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/medicalmart/index.ssf/2011/02/existing_cleveland_convention.html

http://www.clevelandmedicalmart.com/news/2011/02/construction-update-022411.php

Construction Update - 02/24/11

Project Updates :: February 24, 2011

 

 

Demolition continues to be the big story this week as giant football-field sized holes have appeared on what used to be Malls B and C. Crews continue to demolish the rooftop, exposing significant portions of the Convention Center and large meeting halls.

 

On Mall C, crews are demolishing the ballroom roof and the loading dock roof. The ballroom floor is being protected during the demolition process in order to utilize the flooring in the future Convention Center. Elsewhere on Mall C, bracing is being installed along the southwest corner. Gas line relocation will begin, requiring a reconfiguration of the pedestrian barricades along Lakeside Avenue.

 

Mall B presents dramatic views of demolition this week as crews began demolishing the rooftop along the extensive loading dock off St. Clair Avenue. Crews have already removed the loading dock area and are continuing roof demolition toward the east along Lakeside Avenue. On the south end of Mall B, pre-core drilling for caissons continues.

 

Demolition is also the big story on the future Medical Mart site. The majority of the County Annex Building has been demolished utilizing a 6,000 pound wrecking ball. The lower two floors are in the process of being demolished. While the County Annex Building demolition nears completion, crews are continuing to sort materials from the former Chicago Title building. This sorting process will soon begin for the enormous amount of rubble left behind by the County Annex building. The sorting, loading, and removal of debris from the site will take several weeks. The Sportsman Restaurant is scheduled for demolition at the end of March. The 113 Building abatement work is roughly 70% complete, removing materials to prepare for demolition.

 

Finally, the separation work at Public Auditorium is proceeding on schedule with extensive HVAC, electrical, switchgear room, plumbing, fire protection, and fire alarm reconfiguration. Demolition of the old HVAC system has begun in several areas, including duct and piping removal. The electrical work included a rebuilding of the power substation and plumbing separation details include capping water lines.

 

There is a substantial amount of work taking place in more than a dozen locations throughout the worksite requiring a comprehensive safety and crisis management plan that has been developed by Turner Construction.

 

 

On Mall C, crews are demolishing the ballroom roof and the loading dock roof. The ballroom floor is being protected during the demolition process in order to utilize the flooring in the future Convention Center. 

 

Really?  That must be one hell of a floor.  What is it imported marble from Italy or something?

i'd love to see aerials of this -- but any pics would do - hint hint!

There is a live construction cam

i'd love to see aerials of this -- but any pics would do - hint hint!

 

Check the previous page.

omg that is a wild sight -- and to think much more to come!

This is probably off topic, but also relevant to the construction and current events.  I wonder what happens to all the union workers from both the convention center and Public Hall during the construction and renovation?  Do they get to stay on the city payroll?

Let's save that discussion for another thread. Thanks!

The City of Cleveland Planning Commission has new updated plans and photos from the Jan 21 presentation

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/grouplan/mm.php

 

this second link shows the precast detail of the convention center and medical mart. I do like the details. go to page 2

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/grouplan/cmmc01212011.php

The City of Cleveland Planning Commission has new updated plans and photos from the Jan 21 presentation

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/grouplan/mm.php

 

this second link shows the precast detail of the convention center and medical mart. I do like the details. go to page 2

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/grouplan/cmmc01212011.php

 

 

The entire presentation is availible for download in PDF at the bottom of the second link. ..lots of good stuff in there..

 

Charcoal grills on Mall C with Picnic tables. I am claiming dibs for Browns tailgating!

 

I downloaded the PDF of the presentation and looked it over.  I have to say I'm pretty impressed with what they have planned for the MM & Convention Center site.  It's nice to finally see some of the plans in a little bit more detail.

I am not a fan of the stainless steel triangular columns as art.  I hope they are only placeholders for something better.  Also the lamp posts along the promenades are under  scaled. I for one would love to see a more classic  design to  this element since the promenades are the remaining classic element from the original Burnham plan for The Malls.  Since GGN and LMN Architects have mentioned  the idea of incorporating the concept of uniting The Arcade into the plan, why not use the lampposts from that location on to the promenades?

 

 

^^Agreed

 

Or even something more standard/classic. 

 

 

The more I look at the Medical Mart building design the less I like it.  I like it even less after seeing the textured curtain wall panels.  I just get this feeling that in 30 years people will be asking, "what the hell were they thinking?"  Hopefully I'm proven wrong.

 

On the plus side I like the general layout of the public spaces.  I also really like those modern looking light fixtures, bollards, and benches. 

"what the hell were they thinking?" 

 

I can't believe they're pressing ahead with that design.  Back to the drawing board.  We have a chance to do this right and should not settle for outrageously bad architecture.

well keeping in my mind that architecture is completely subjective and everyone will have their own opinions which are just that... count me in the group that actually likes this building more and more and more, the more I see it. I think often overlooked is the fact that this building is the exact same mass, and scale, and largely similar materials as the other group plan buildings that surround the malls, which will help add a unifying sense of place to the pedestrian experience. As an added bonus, the amount of glass typical of a modern structure will emit a flood of light in the surrounding area at night which will do nothing but help the vibrancy of the area. I personally am really excited to see this take shape. I think it is a very respectful and fitting way to incorporate a modern building design into a historic area.

 

That said, I too will be extremely disapointed if they go away from traditional lighting lining the malls and promenades. We should be making statements about where we are "now" through our buildings, and 216 year old cities should maintain a traditional infastructure.

I would describe the design as from the mid 20th century myopic school of public buildings.

It's starting to grow on me as well. I don't think many people knew the panels were textured. Not sure how I fell about that yet. I think a smooth surfaced panel would have fit in better with the historical context, give it more of a stone feel. Says there are going to be precast concrete.

Neo-Brutalist, and it looks like bleu cheese.

I like the exterior more than I initially did too. I just hope that the coating on the concrete panels that protect it, allow it to age better than many of the concrete sided buildings from the 1970's. Stone just weathers better. One thing I do love about this design is the open lobby that has the ramp that goes down to the exhibition level. I can't wait to see it in person. 

I don't think we can make any judgments about the Medical Mart until we see how it interacts with the Rock-o-meter.

Well, at least it will provide a dry place for some to have a smoke.

 

Anyone have any predictions if the recessed sides of the building at street level will provide protection from the wind, or enhance the wind?

I don't think we can make any judgments about the Medical Mart until we see how it interacts with the Rock-o-meter.

 

HAH!

 

Personally, I don't think its design is going to be featured on Arch Daily or Arch Record or such, but I feel that it will be a good space and I don't think they did anything wrong, per se.. just nothing extraordinary.

If it was mediocrity they were going for, they hit a home run. The MM was the only way to get the CC rebuilt. The CC is the most important part of the project and the devil is in the details. The MM will be long gone and the CC will have to carry this thing. The CC MUST BE RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

  You would think with all the "mart connections/experience" we should/could have got a better deal on the juvi center furnishings. I wonder if anyone even asked. Maroons, but I digress.

 

If it was mediocrity they were going for, they hit a home run. The MM was the only way to get the CC rebuilt. The CC is the most important part of the project and the devil is in the details. The MM will be long gone and the CC will have to carry this thing. The CC MUST BE RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

  You would think with all the "mart connections/experience" we should/could have got a better deal on the juvi center furnishings. I wonder if anyone even asked. Maroons, but I digress.

 

 

And unfortunately Im not so sure they got the convention certer, right since its lacks the exhibit space that will allow it to host some of the bigger shows that used to be downtown, or ones that are at the IX center now....  They went for more meeting rooms instead (catering too much to the MM, and not much beyond), which yeah, if the MM doesnt last here, then it is kinda screwed for other big shows.