ENVD 4410 █ Spring 2004 █ Instructor Michael Jenson █ Urban Design Studio █ 16 weeks
Part of the mission of the Columbia Convention Center is to provide a successful implementation of meetings, conventions, tradeshows and other special occasions for the Columbia Riverbanks Region. In my design of these activities, there is foremost an element of adaptability and accessibility incorporated within the space. Having each space positioned along the primary axis of the main corridor made the design efficient and responsive to function. I believe that the public spaces should feel accommodating; while the private access spaces should be merely invisible. When it comes to the building as a whole, I attempted to find the equilibrium of heavy and defined verses organic and fluid. The subsidiary elements to these two main freeform spaces of Exhibit and Pre-Function permeate through the heavy framing elements. As a non-verbal architectural statement, my design of the Columbia Convention Center entices curiosity with its ingenuity and innovation. I believe that this Center could be the preferred venue for a diverse range of both public and private events for the Columbia and its surrounding jurisdictions of Richland and Lexington County.