Oklahoma City’s MAPS 3 Convention Center recognized as 2022 ULI Oklahoma Outstanding Public Initiative

ULI Oklahoma recognized the MAPS 3 Oklahoma City Convention Center as its 2022 Outstanding Public Initiative during the 8th annual Impact Awards on May 12.

As the largest single project in the history of the City of Oklahoma City, the $293-million MAPS 3 Convention Center was completed in December 2020 on time, under budget and completely debt free. The facility more than doubled the size of the aging Cox Convention Center and elevated OKC’s capacity for hosting meetings and conventions. The building is east of Scissortail Park along Robinson Avenue between SW 4th and SW 7th streets.

“The MAPS 3 Convention Center is a historic project for Oklahoma City,” said MAPS Program Manager David Todd. “Looking back, what I’m most proud of was the focused coordination each team exhibited to get the job done. During construction, four other massive projects were built adjacent to the site including the OKC Streetcar, Scissortail Park, Omni Hotel and Oklahoma City Boulevard. As a result, we’ve transformed our downtown and created a gathering place for residents and visitors to enjoy for generations to come.”

The Convention Center’s design reflects Oklahoma City’s culture and history while the soaring glass walls and spacious balconies show off the stunning sunsets and sweeping views of Scissortail Park. The building’s sleek and modern design features materials intended for energy efficiency and resiliency against the weather.

The 500,000-square-foot interior includes a 200,730-square-foot exhibit hall on the first floor, which is divisible into four halls. About 45,000 square feet of meeting spaces are on all levels of the building, and many have operable walls to make the spaces flexible. The rooms can be configured to provide up to 27 meeting spaces. A 9,700-square-foot junior ballroom is located on the third floor, and the building’s fourth floor features a 30,000-square-foot ballroom along with pre-function space and a large balcony overlooking Scissortail Park.

“The MAPS 3 Convention Center allowed us to engage in tremendous, transformative destination design, creating a unique venue that works in harmony with the surrounding civic projects to make Oklahoma City the best that it can be while setting it up soundly for the future,” said Populous senior principal Michael Lockwood. “A building must be designed in the context of the community’s goals, culture and fabric. Through constant collaboration, Oklahoma City’s footprint was expanded and enhanced, establishing it as a global destination.”

“Flintco has been fortunate to be part of building Oklahoma City’s footprint for nearly 40 years. The Oklahoma City Convention Center is one of those career projects that transforms the cityscape and provides extensive value to the Oklahoma City community,” said Kirk Mammen, vice president of Flintco’s Oklahoma City office. “Flintco is proud to have been on the team that helped to successfully deliver this iconic project.”

A $1.5 million public art installation, “Virtual Sky,” can be seen from Robinson Avenue. The installation features small LED lights that can be programmed for specific patterns and can also reflect the changing sky.

The project team includes the City of Oklahoma City, Populous, Flintco, ADG, and GSB.

ULI Oklahoma’s Impact Awards recognize projects that exemplify best practices in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities. The finalists represent those projects and initiatives that were determined to best promote the creation of resilient communities, intelligent densification and urbanization, as well as outstanding quality of design and construction. A diverse panel of judges experienced in land use and development scored the finalists in terms of the project’s success in contributing to walkability, creating or reinforcing a sense of place, and additional measures, including criteria appropriate to specific categories, such as excellence in preservation, degree of difficulty, and community significance impact.

Go to okc.gov/maps3 or okcconventioncenter.com to learn more about the Convention Center.