Georgia World Congress Center - Phase IV Expansion

Heery led the design team and provided structural engineering for the Phase IV addition to the Georgia World Congress Center.  Upon completion in 2002, the 420,000 SF expansion doubled the size of one of the country’s largest convention centers by adding four new exhibit halls, 29 meeting rooms, a conference center, parking garage, a new 27,000 SF ballroom and a new entrance on the west side of the facility. The new "front door" on the west side of the complex allows the Georgia World Congress Center management to host multiple shows simultaneously, as well as offer more space to existing shows with growth needs.  Two concourses link the addition to the existing facility allowing easy access between the old and new.

One of the primary design criteria for the structure was controlling vibrations. This was especially challenging for the ballroom floor portion of the project. The ballroom is located above one of the exhibit halls, requiring its structural system to be designed with long spans to avoid columns that would have disrupted the exhibit floor space below. In addition, the registration concourse features a high glass enclosure, which required extensive structural analysis to address both wind and seismic forces.