MELBOURNE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE, Australia

The expansion of the Melbourne Exhibition Centre to integrate a world-class convention centre is part of a AUD$1.8 billion project to revitalise Melbourne's riverside precinct.  The finished development is now the central focus of an area linking Melbourne's Southbank and Docklands precincts and includes a 5 star hotel, Maritime Museum, twenty-storey office tower and lifestyle retail centre

Located on the banks of the Yarra River behind an 18 metre high glass façade,  the Melbourne Convention Centre is the largest convention centre in the Southern Hemisphere. This technically advanced project was a joint venture between NH Architecture and Woods Bagot and the resulting design has achieved the first and only 6 Star Green Star environmental rating in the world for a convention centre. 

Featuring a highly versatile 5,000 seat plenary hall with associated facilities such as a large entrance foyer, more than 50 meeting rooms and a banquet hall, the convention centre has had a major impact on the international business events market.

As primary acoustic consultant, Marshall Day Acoustics was involved in many aspects of the project including room acoustics, sound insulation, mechanical services noise control, theatre design, building and services vibration and bridge vibration.

Central to the design and operation of the plenary hall is the inclusion of acoustically insulated operable walls that can separate the hall into three self-contained theatres, enabling multiple events of different types to be held concurrently.  An automated seating system installed in the plenary ensures versatility in seating configurations including the removal of all seating for cocktail style events.

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