Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center: set to open in fall 2008, this facility will attract large conventions.

The Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center will be a tremendous addition to Anchorage and will allow Alaska's largest city to host large conventions and multiple mid-size conventions, said supporters. It was approved by voters in April 2005 and will be completed and ready for operation next year. Already, conventions are being booked, and already, individuals, businesses and visitors are excited about the prospects this large and beautiful center will bring.

OVERVIEW

The 200,000-square-foot, $103 million complex has been under construction in downtown Anchorage since April 2006. It is slated to open for business in September 2008.

"The design for the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center is the result of a collaborative design team partnership between RIM Architects and LMN Architects," said Cynthia Oistad of RIM Business Development/Community Relations. "RIM provided the design team with inspiration about what makes Alaska unique and the expertise on designing highly functional and appropriate facilities in Alaska."

LMN, a veteran of 50 other convention center designs all over the world, contributed its substantial experience working with the specific building type.

"Collectively," Oistad said, "we refined the convention center design, which is based on creating a signature convention experience unique to Alaska."

TEAM

The principal players in this construction effort are:

Developer: Alaska Center for Convention and Trade LLC, a joint venture of JL Properties Inc. and Venture Development Group LLC

General Contractor: Neeser Construction Inc.

Architect: RIM Architects and LMN Architects

F Street Amenities Design: Koonce Pfeffer Bettis Architects

Civil Engineer: DOWL Engineers

Structural Engineer: BBFM Engineers and Magnusson Klemencic Associates

Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: Syska Hennessy Group

Landscape Architecture: Land Design North

Construction Management: RISE Alaska LLC

HISTORY

The project was conceived in 1998 with the first feasibility study. Construction began April 17, 2006.

In summer 2006, the Anchorage Assembly, acting on a recommendation of a panel appointed by the mayor, voted to name the center in honor of the Dena'ina (DEH-nah EE-nah) Athabascans, the people who first settled the Upper Cook Inlet basin approximately 1,500 years ago. Accordingly, the five major rooms will be called:

Main Ballroom--Tikahtnu (Cook Inlet)

Executive Boardroom--K'enakatnu (Knik)

Meeting Room--Kahtnu (Kenai)

Meeting Room--Tubughnenq' (Tyonek)

Exhibit Hall--Idlughet (Eklutna)

DEMOGRAPHICS 

Some building materials that will be going into the complex are:

* 11,200 cubic yards of concrete

* 2,600 tons of structural steel

* 40,000 square feet of precast architectural concrete panel

* 675 tons of rebar 

* 58,000 square feet of insulated metal panel

* 34,000 square feet of glazing 

* 900,000 square feet of drywall

* 135 miles of wire feeder and branch wire

* 30 miles of telephone and data wire

* 80 toilet partitions

RISE Alaska's Vice President of Facilities Kent Crandall lists the following expected capacities on the center's completion:

Ballroom--25,000 square feet

* Booth setup--134 booths

* Banquet seating--1,812 people

* Classroom setup--1,664 people

* Theatre/Lecture setup--3,180 people

Ballroom and Exhibit Hall

* Total booths--408

* Lobbies, pre-function/circulation 46,500 square feet

* Meeting rooms (including ballroom) 37,000 square feet

Exhibit Hall--49,100-50,000 square feet

* Booth setup--274 booths

* Banquet setup--3,240 people

* Classroom setup--3,262 people

* General session setup--5,000 people

No downtown parking problems are anticipated from use of the center. The two nearby parking facilities--Sixth Avenue Parking and the J.C. Penney parking garage--should be sufficient, the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau stated, along with the new 836-space, nine-story garage under construction at Seventh Avenue and F Street just north of the Atwood Building.

SCHEDULE

"The construction of the center is on time and under budget and we're excited for its opening in the fall of 2008," Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich told Alaska Business Monthly.

"This summer will see the completion of the building shell; roofing, concrete tilt-up siding, architectural wall systems, windows and doors," Crandall projected. "This will allow NCI (Neeser Construction Inc.) to continue through the winter with interior walls and finishes, kitchen equipment, lighting, electrical and mechanical systems. Next summer NCI will complete and commission the interior systems and complete the building site improvements: heated sidewalks, landscaping, seat-walls, curbs and gutters, as well as improvements to F Street to enhance connectivity between the convention center and the Egan (Center)."

BOOKINGS

"We already have groups who have reserved the center for the 2008 convention season and even more who are considering it for many years out," the mayor said.

"The Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates that each convention attendee spends $974 while here and many come back for second visits and send their friends and families as well," Begich explained. "The construction of the Dena'ina Convention Center is a key part of the "Extreme Makeover" of our downtown. The convention center, the museum expansion, the port expansion and other downtown projects will bring Anchorage into the 21st century."

The center will include:

* heated and canopied exterior sidewalks for year-round, ice-free walking

* an Aurora Borealis wall and Alaska's four seasons incorporated in to interior wall finishes and carpet color on various levels

* a large outdoor deck at the 70-foot level with a spectacular view of the Chugach Mountains 

* more Chugach viewing from ballroom and pre-function space

* a transparent main lobby and the bringing of low-level light into the building in dramatic ways

* a design that will make F Street convertible from a street to a plaza, to accommodate outdoor events and extend the center into a kind of town square.

Below is the center's updated reservation list, according to group
name, date, number of delegates expected, and estimated economic
impact to the City of Anchorage:

Convention                                  Dates           Delegates

Alaska Federation of Natives                Sept. 2008         4,000
Western Association of Students
  Financial Aid                             April 2009           540
National Association of Postmasters         Sept. 2009         1,500
of the United States                        March 2010           600
Western States Communication Association
IEEE International Conference on Robotics    May 2010          1,100
National Defense Transportation
  Association                                Oct. 2010         1,200
USA-Canada Lions Leadership Forum           Sept. 2011         3,200
American Astronomical Society                May 2012          1,140

Convention                                     Estimated
                                            Economic Impact

Alaska Federation of Natives                $3.9 million
Western Association of Students
  Financial Aid                               $723,305
National Association of Postmasters         $1.9 million
of the United States                          $693,523
Western States Communication Association
IEEE International Conference on Robotics   $1.3 million
National Defense Transportation
  Association                               $2.3 million
USA-Canada Lions Leadership Forum           $3.1 million
American Astronomical Society               $1.3 million