Gavin Kain talks about the growing significance of convention centres in the modern city.

Principal at Woods Bagot, based in the Adelaide Studio, Kain was architect on the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre in collaboration with NH Architecture, and is now working on the Adelaide Convention Centre.

He brings along national and international experience and in commercial, residential, defence, retail and cultural developments, and a strong interest in regionalism and sustainability.

Q: How are convention centres changing the footprint of the contemporary city?

A: In the context of the contemporary city, the typology of the Convention Centre will gain significance as an important cultural function and fulcrum of connectivity to a wider audience.

Q: How so?

A: What we are seeing is that the traditional prestige of the art gallery and museum is slowly being overtaken by retail/entertainment and other interactive/social buildings. We are seeing a shift in people’s focus — moving from a new era of innovation and knowledge and hyper communication.

Q: Do you see the convention centre forming part of a city’s cultural centres?

A: In a way, yes. We are witnessing the replacement of meaning in building types — placing a new responsibility on the emphasis of the new Convention Centre designs. They can no longer behave as on and off building types, dependent on the delegate calendar.

Q: Woods Bagot is currently designing the Adelaide Convention Centre (ACC) with expert advice from Larry Oltmann. Do you see what you are mentioning above, ringing true?

A: The ACC is already conceiving itself (and this has been acknowledged by the community) as more than a business focussed on gathering delegates — it must be adaptable and flexible enough to amalgamate various different functions to respond to the city’s civic and entertainment requirements.

As the purpose on convention centres moves towards culturally integrated civic buildings, the community thinking about both their function and identity needs will need to change dramatically.

Q: Does the ACC reflect a convention centre of the future?

A: Our research found that with many existing convention centres, there was little connection to the city they occupied or the culture of their context. The ACC project forms part of the initiatives outlined in “The 30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide.” It will drive urban connectivity — connecting the city to the river via pedestrian networks.

Architecture & Design Team

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