Sci-fi designs take West Side into 21st century.

Two major architecture companies involved in the city's proposed "Convention Corridor," unveiled their futuristic plans last week for the key components of the Far West Side project.

The plans will bring to New York City the most technically advanced building in North America. Kohn Pedersen Fox, that is designing the $1.4 billion New York Sports and Convention Center, and HOK, that is designing the 1.3 million s/f expansion of the Javits Center, opened the exhibit "Architecture, Energy, Urbanism: Designing the New Convention Corridor" at the AIA New York Chapter Center for Architecture.

The high-tech sports and convention center will incorporate sustainable design technology through use of solar panels, wind turbines, and hydroelectric technology to not only supply energy to the stadium, but also to the surrounding city grid.

Most impressive to the public may be the ability of the building to change use and appearance. "This building can transform itself from a 200,000 s/f exhibition hall in 24 hours to a 75,000-seat football field," said Bill Pedersen, principal of KPF.

"The organic LED ... will enable the announcement of an event within the facility. It will be able to transform itself not only internally, but also externally."

The sports and convention center will compliment the $1.4 million Javits Center expansion. The existing center has long outlived it's capability to hold larger events and is only ranked 18th in the country.

"The Javits Center is a New York City success story," said Sam Spada, senior principal of HOK. "But it leaves a lot of business on the table. There's no mega ballroom. There's no headquarters hotel." The Convention Corridor will include both.

One of the many unique features of the Javits Center expansion is the roof top that will be accessible to the public, Spada said.

"We came up with a living roof that is the size of the great lawn in Central Park," he said. "That living roof is going to be a public amenity. It will be open to the public. It will have really be apart of New York City."

The New York Jets are helping to sponsor the exhibit, which is open to the public at the center, located at 536 LaGuardia Place until Aug. 7.

"This is an amazing building type, both the convention center and the sports and convention center," said Jay Cross, president of the New York Jets. "They are big and they are complex and they are going to bring all sorts of disciplines to bear."

Visitors will be encouraged to offer their opinions on the designs, with their comments becoming an interactive and evolving component of the free exhibition.

"The board of the AIA New York Chapter has endorsed this project," said Rick Bell, executive director of the New York Chapter. "We have been able to look at it as it has evolved over the years and we are looking forward to looking to see how it further evolves in cooperation with the Javits Center expansion."

The AIA New York Chapter believes that an informed understanding of design issues leads to better built projects and encourages design excellence," Bell said.

Additional exhibition sponsors include Kohn Pedersen Fox, the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, HOK, The Thornton-Tomasetti Group, Flack + Kurtz and ARUP.