Construction Team Gets Cracking on 500,000-sf Convention Center

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA-Plans for the new state-of-the-art Virginia Beach Convention Center have taken a big step forward with this week’s news of Turner Construction Co.’s landing of the $135 million contract to build the approximately 500,000-sf facility. Turner’s Mid-Atlantic office, along with Sussex Development Corp. and Techcon Inc., will act in the capacity of construction manager at-risk. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2003.

Architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Norfolk, VA’s Clark Nexsen, have been collaborating on the design since October 2001 and remain in place to oversee the particulars of the finished product, which will be developed in two phases with the first phase reaching completion in 2005. Development costs in projected 2005 numbers rise to an estimated $193.5 million. “Right now we’re involved in pre-construction for the project, which means there’s a great deal of planning,” Turner’s project executive for this endeavor Al Adams tells GlobeSt.com. “We’re working closely with Jim Partin of Virginia Beach Public Works and the architects and engineers. The project is in the construction drawing phase.”