The 864,000-sf expansion will reinforce San Diego's center as "one of the premier exhibit and meeting venues in the world, as well as help solidify our great city as the ultimate tourist destination," says Hal Sadler, chairman of Tucker Sadler Noble Castro Architects, which designed the project in collaboration with Los Angeles-based HNTB Architects.

The city is owner and developer of the project that will about double the amount of meeting and exhibit space at the venue. Turner Construction is the construction manager, with Ron Rudolph serving as project director.

The 15-acre site adjacent to the existing convention center at West Harbor Drive is slated for completion in early September, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to be held in the middle of that month. "It's sure to become an icon for the region," Sadler says.