Dive Brief:
- London-based construction firm Balfour Beatty topped out the Broward County, Florida, Convention Center’s East Expansion project on Dec. 13, according to a press release sent to Construction Dive.
- The stand-alone, 400,000-square-foot East Expansion Building contains ballrooms, exhibit space and a kitchen that will serve the entire 1.5 million-square-foot convention center, according to the release. Balfour Beatty will also build an 801-room hotel operated by Omni Fort Lauderdale that will hold more meeting and ballroom space, multiple restaurant options, an amenity deck and a rooftop bar.
- The expansion is the second phase of construction by Balfour Beatty at the $1 billion Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center project, according to the release. The current price tag on the project is more than 20% higher than the original $780 million cost estimate announced in 2019.
Dive Insight:
When complete, the final product will add 525,000 square feet of meeting space to the convention center, along with a host of amenities such as a new, 65,000-square-foot waterfront ballroom, enhanced water taxis and a waterfront plaza with public access, according to the contractor’s project page.
Balfour Beatty built the project over the last two years while working around activities at the convention center, the contractor said. Adding to the difficulty, the firm also worked adjacent to two active Broward County port terminals serving two different cruise lines.
The firm completed the first phase of the expansion project, the West Expansion Building, in October 2021. Balfour Beatty, in conjunction with Lewsiville, Texas-based developer Matthews Southwest, created 350,000 square feet of exhibition space contiguous with the existing convention center and a new power plant for the facility, per the 2021 release.
Construction is ongoing for the convention center’s East Expansion and Omni Hotel, per the builder. The second phase of the project is slated for completion in late 2025.
