At a special-called board meeting today, the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency chose the design team for a new 600-million dollar convention center.
The Atlanta-based architecture firm Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback and Associates will lead the design effort. TVS has designed seven of the 10 largest convention centers in the country. It also designed the new China International Exhibition Center in Beijing.
In a competitive bidding process, MDHA also named Nashville’s Tuck-Hinton firm and Ohio-based Moody Nolan to help out. Moody Nolan is one of the largest minority-owned architecture firms in the country. Tuck-Hinton is known for designing the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Bicentennial Mall.
Groundbreaking on the Music City Center is expected by the middle of next year, with an opening slated for 2012. Metro plans to pay for construction and operation of the 1.2-million square-foot building by tourist taxes that are already in place.
Earlier this year, MDHA chose Clark Construction Group and Bell Construction to oversee the project in a joint venture with Harmony Construction.
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