David L. Lawrence Convention Center

The David L. Lawrence Convention Center offers 29,088 square meters of meeting and exhibition space in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The facility is accessible via two exits on Interstate 579. The original David L. Lawrence Convention Center was completed on February 7, 1981. As part of a major revitalization plan, this completely new and fully redesigned center opened in 2003, co-funded alongside the nearby Heinz Field and PNC Park. It is located on the south bank of the Allegheny River. After the Commonwealth approved funding for the redesigned center on February 3, 1999, architect Rafael Viñoly was selected to design the modern facility on February 28, 1999. Viñoly, together with Dewhurst Macfarlane & Partners and Goldreich Engineering, constructed this riverside landmark which features a 31,610-square-foot (2,940-square-meter) ballroom, 51 meeting rooms, two 250-seat lecture halls, advanced teleconferencing capabilities, and 4,500 square feet (420 square meters) of retail space (currently under development). Architect Viñoly embarked on this design with the goal of achieving "green" building status. In 2003, the building was awarded the Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. This made it the first convention center in the United States to achieve this, and the largest "green" building in the world.