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A Sense Of Place continued

Running The Show

In the spring of 2006, the City of Cincinnati hired Global Spectrum to manage the daily operations of the building. Richard Booth, general manager of the new Duke Energy Center, arrived at the facility in May to coordinate the transition from city management to his firm.

A multi-level concourse was designed to facilitate movement between various function spaces. PHOTO: J. MILES WOLF

“Mark and his team did a wonderful job of building the new facility,” says Booth. “The architecture is very well done, and I’ve received many positive comments about its overall appearance. Also, we had several city employees stay on to help us with operations in respect to HVAC and other building systems.”

Booth notes that, behind the scenes, upgraded building systems enable his staff to meet client needs quickly and effectively. For instance, a security camera can be positioned in a room specifically to monitor inventory being stored for an event. From the facility’s central command post, staff can watch the space.

Other highlights include the ability to turn off individual sensor points in the fire system when trying to determine the cause of false alarms. “We don’t turn the point completely off,” Booth explains. “Rather, the annunciator is turned off, and we can then watch the area around the point for possible causes. We had an issue with a heat detector in an area where dishes are cleaned. The alarm kept going off, and we were able to turn off the point there until we could solve the problem.”

Booth also uses the building automation system to monitor energy usage. This is especially helpful for the meeting rooms where occupants have access to lighting and temperature controls.

“Our event managers are physically out in the spaces, but we can also monitor the usage from our computers,” says Booth. “We haven’t reached the point where we track usage in individual rooms over time, but I want to get to that point.”

With a plethora of amenities and improved functionality, the Duke Energy Center has renewed its position as a contender in the convention industry. With pleasing amenities and streamlined services, the facility is poised to provide world-class service.

Project Information:

Project: Duke Energy Center. Location: Cincinnati, OH. Type of Project: Remodeling and Expansion. Function of Facility: Convention Center. Owner: City of Cincinnati. General Manager: Richard Booth of Global Spectrum. Developer: City of Cincinnati. Project Management Team (In House): Mark McKillip, project director, City of Cincinnati. Square Footage: 750,000. Funding Provider: City of Cincinnati; Hamilton County, OH; Duke Energy Corp; various corporate contributions. Budget: $145 million. Construction Timetable: May 2004 to June 2006. Architect of Record: Cincinnati Architects Collaborative. Design Architect: LMN Architects. Interior Designer: Sussman/Prejza. Electrical/Mechanical Engineer: Thermaltech Engineering, Inc. Structural Engineer: THP Limited, Inc. Construction Manager: Hunt Construction Group, Inc. Program Manager: URS Corporation. Lighting Designer: Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design.

Product Information:

Furniture: MTS and Specialized Chairs; Midwest Tables; Herman Miller Office Furniture. Flooring: Dal-Tile Quarry; Crossville. Carpet: Lees Carpet; Mohawk. Ceilings: Armstrong. Lighting Fixtures: Hubbell Lighting. Movable Walls: Modernfold. Window Treatments: Kawneer. Restroom Fixtures: American Standard. Storage Equipment: Midwest Rack Storage. Security System: EST, Inc. CCTV: Blonder Tongue Laboratories; American Sound; Crown; Audia; Crestron. Door Locks: Best. Smart Cards/ID Badging: Ving. Alarms/Sensors: ADT. HVAC Equipment: Trane. Building Management System: Spectrum Controls, Inc. Power Supply Equipment: General Electric. Roofing System: Carlisle Roofing. Lighting Controls: Lutron; General Electric. Ballasts: Advance Ballast; Payne Sparkman. Exit Signs: Luminaire. Wayfinding Systems: Harmon Sign\Planet Neon. IT Infrastructure: WJHW; Ermco. Wiring: Beldon. Restroom Equipment: Bobrick. Windows/Curtainwalls/Skylights: Kawneer. Glazing: PPG. Elevators/Escalators: KONE.

This article was based on interviews with Booth (rbooth@global-spectrum.com) and McKillip (mark.mckillip@cincinnati-oh.gov).

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