Situated on the western end of downtown Cincinnati, the existing Duke Energy Center was in need of expansion and renovation work in order to become a new “Gateway into the City.” AECOM Hunt was selected by the City of Cincinnati to accomplish this goal without impacting any scheduled events.

Work included a 214,000-square-foot expansion of exhibit halls, ballroom and pre-function spaces; a renovation of 548,000 square feet of existing exhibit halls, meeting rooms and administrative offices; and the complete upgrade of all architectural finishes and mechanical and electrical services. Now, it is large enough to host over 75-percent of the events, conventions and meetings in the United States.

The desire was to have a seamless transition into the expansion space. Consequently, the sequencing and scheduling of all of the construction activities was critical from start to finish, including the planning for temporary condition activities. The project was completed ahead of schedule and below budget.