“The very earliest convention centers—exquisite, soaring amalgams of art and technology designed to showcase innovations in the most innovative way possible—were some of history’s great buildings, like the Crystal Palace in London (1851) and the Palais de l’Industrie in Paris (1855). But over the years, convention centers became something far more banal: functionalist, energy-sucking megabuildings, simultaneously turning their back on and gobbling up their cities while forcing their attendees to endure generic spaces, with little natural light, endless and confusing corridors, and flexible spaces that never feel right no matter how you flex them.

“But increased competition and tighter urban constraints have forced long-needed innovation. A good example is LMN’s recent addition to Seattle’s Convention Center, known as the Summit Building, a structure that bills itself as one of the world’s first high-rise convention centers. Located in the middle of Seattle’s narrow downtown, the Summit Building uses its vertical orientation to its advantage, adding energy, speeding up circulation, and opening up space for creativity.”
— Sam Lubell

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