Steel Structures to Begin Taking Shape at North Building Construction Site

Phoenix Convention Center officials announced today that construction on the new North Building has reached another key milestone. Starting today, crews will begin erecting the first steel structures at the site of the North Building. The $600 million expansion of the city’s convention center began in 2003, and once completed, will triple the size of the former facility to nearly 900,000 square feet of event space.

In preparation for this period of construction, crews spent the last four days assembling a 350 ton crane at the bottom of the site. The new yellow crane, which was delivered in pieces by more than 30 trucks, has a 225 foot mast and will be the largest crane used during expansion. This will be the third crane at the convention center site, and joins the many others dotting the downtown Phoenix skyline, as construction progresses on projects like the 1000-room Sheraton Hotel and various high-rise projects.

The Phoenix Convention Center expansion project is a cooperative effort between the city of Phoenix and state of Arizona and is being completed in two phases. Phase One was completed in July 2006 with the opening of the new West Building, and Phase Two, scheduled for completion in late 2008, broke ground last May.

Since then, crews have excavated the 10-acre site of the North Building to a depth of 50 feet below street level to accommodate for the 312,000-square-foot underground exhibition hall, which will connect the North and West Buildings under Third Street. The four-level North Building will be three times the size of the new West Building, and will feature amenities such as a 45,000-square-foot street-level ballroom, a food court with five themed eateries and more than 55 meeting rooms.

In late October 2006, crews reached another key construction target as the first concrete was poured for the building’s columns and column footings. While the excavation of the North Building site was considered the beginning of Phase Two, the concrete footings were the first elements actually constructed at the site. Now, as crews begin to position and assemble various steel elements, the building’s shell will begin to take shape and rise out of the 50-foot hole.

For updates and live pictures of the Phoenix Convention Center expansion, visit: phoenixconventioncenter.com.