SAN JOSE, CA–(Marketwire – October 20, 2010) –  The San Jose City Council has unanimously approved the selection of the Hunt Construction Group / Populous team for the renovation and expansion of the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. Hunt will lead the Design-Build team with Populous as the designer.

“San Jose is known as one of the country’s most innovative cities, and Hunt / Populous have been recognized as an innovative Design-Build team,” said Todd Voth, Populous senior principal leading the project. “We’ll let the spirit of innovation drive this unique opportunity to bring to life all that is great about the city of San Jose.”

The convention center, which opened in 1989, will undergo more than $100 million in renovation and addition work funded through an endorsement by local hotels agreeing to tax themselves in support of this project. The proposed addition, which will bring the convention center to more than 1.3 million square feet, will make San Jose’s the 5^th largest convention center in California. “We are thrilled for the opportunity to collaborate with the City of San Jose and convention center stakeholders on this exciting project,” said Tim Smith, Project Executive and Vice President at Hunt.

Hunt / Populous’ goal for the project is to design, build and deliver a responsible building that maximizes functional connectivity with the existing center. To achieve this, the proposed design will create a blend of indoor and outdoor space. The renovated entry plaza will create opportunities for unique meeting and exhibit environments that blur the line between inside and out. In addition, Hunt / Populous will ensure the building is constructed and operates efficiently and sustainably.

The San Jose design is driven by the experience Populous has learned through its Imagine That workshops. Imagine That explores the future of the meeting and exhibition industry by creating a dialogue among all those integral to the industry, leading to better building planning and design.

“After studying the marketplace and those most important to the convention center process — building operators, event managers and attendees themselves — we’ve learned what it takes to make a successful convention center, and you’ll see that research embedded into the planning, design, construction and delivery in San Jose,” said Voth. “When the customer becomes the heart and the focus of design and construction effort, the result is a convention center that is comfortable, convenient and well connected on a civic scale. Cities like San Jose that carefully plan and execute an authentic experience for their convention and exhibition guests outperform their competition, and we look forward to helping imagine and deliver a better future for San Jose.”

Together, Hunt and Populous have collaborated on more than 16 million square feet of event space totaling more than $8.5 billion. “Our companies share a long history of successfully delivering complex public venue projects and we are excited about continuing this legacy in San Jose,” said Smith.

About Hunt
Established in 1944, Hunt has provided over 66 years of construction expertise, making its mark in virtually every major industry. With offices established nationwide, Hunt currently maintains a contract volume of between $6 and $8 billion of work, and is ranked 26th in the Top 400 Contractors list by Engineering News-Record. Through the years, we have built a reputation for on-time, on-budget delivery of landmark projects. Hunt continues to provide the latest services to its clients with a strong emphasis on Green Building and Building Information Modeling/Virtual Design & Construction (BIM/VDC). www.huntconstructiongroup.com

About Populous
Since inception in 1983, Populous has grown into the world’s leading design firm dedicated exclusively to creating environments that draw people and communities together for unforgettable experiences. The firm has completed more than 1,000 projects around the globe with construction value exceeding $20 billion. Populous has worked with 24 Major League Baseball franchises, 30 NFL franchises, 80 professional and civic arena clients, 40 global soccer and rugby teams, 120 universities, 40 convention center clients, 29 equestrian clients and has planned more than 30 major worldwide events. www.populous.com

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