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Austin Convention Center: Behind the scenes
We are getting a behind-the-scenes look at the Convention Center redevelopment. Crews are tearing down the existing one and building a larger building in its place.
AUSTIN, Texas - We are getting a behind-the-scenes look at the Convention Center redevelopment. Crews are tearing down the existing one and building a larger building in its place.
About two-thirds of the old Convention Center has been taken down.
Demolition crews start taking apart Austin Convention Center
Demolition has begun on the Austin Convention Center to make way for a new and bigger one.
Crews are removing the rest piece by piece. A lot of it will be recycled. Some of it will go to the new Convention Center.
"Earlier on, we talked about salvaging those components that are being brought over to the Marshaling Yard, stacked and palletted so they can reuse in the new building. Everything else is being sorted and processed at a recycling plant," Chris Cordeiro, general superintendent with JE Dunn Construction, said.
In about two months, the entire structure will be gone.
While they're demolishing the rest, crews are working on the diaphragm wall, which is part of the structure that helps with water protection.
"Because of being near the river and the lake and the water table, it allows you to lock out the water in systems as you're excavating and digging. It helps maintain and control that," Cordeiro said.
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Austin Convention Center demo crews begin
Demolition has begun on the Austin Convention Center to make way for a new and bigger one.
Machines are working through the soil for the diaphragm wall.
Once the building is completely down, they'll start excavation to put in foundations and steel.
The current process with demolition and prep work essentially works its way around the site.
"Because of the size of the building and the footprint, it allows us to take advantage of the fact of being six city blocks, that we don't have to stop and wait every time for one process to be done to start the next," Cordeiro said.
This project nearly doubles the size of the old Convention Center.
"It feels really amazing. This has been 10 years in the making. We've been studying this for a really long time, and we're super excited to be at this point," Katy Zamesnik, acting deputy director of the Austin Convention Center, said.
The entire project costs $1.6 billion. It's funded by the Hotel Occupancy Tax. That's what visitors pay when they stay at Austin hotels. Funding also comes from some sales taxes from around the Convention Center, and Convention Center revenue.
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Austin Convention Center unveils first look
Construction on a new Austin Convention Center is set to begin this spring. Now, we are getting to see what the new center will look like
"Some Austinites are asking, 'why is the city spending all this money when the old convention center seemed fine?' What would you tell them?" FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen asked.
"That this is something that we're doing for all of Austin. The return on investment for this project is going to be massive. It's going to be over $750 million in annual economic impact. That's hotel tax that's going to flow back into the city and that it's going to go towards arts and culture as well as just the bars and restaurants that we have in our local economy, so we're really excited about this project," Zamesnik said.
The entire project is expected to be done in 2029, when it will open for SXSW.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen