Populous and HMC Architects team up to win Los Angeles design contract

Populous and HMC Architects have been selected by the Los Angeles City Council to renovate and enlarge the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The team won the contract, which has a top budget of $350 million, by beating out two other teams in a design competition. The Los Angeles council is exploring financing options to complete the project.

A key feature of the Populous/HMC proposal calls for creating what designers called a “large, unprecedented outdoor ballroom space.”

The design intends to connect the center’s existing south and west halls with a structure over Pico Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles. The renovations also will add more meeting spaces as well as public open spaces.

The Los Angeles council launched the design competition in an effort to update and expand the convention center to attract larger conventions. The city had tried to attract a National Football League team to play at the site, but when that failed, the council turned its attention to improving the convention center.

Diane Stafford, stafford@kcstar.com

This story was originally published July 1, 2015 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Populous and HMC Architects team up to win Los Angeles design contract."