Company:
City of Anaheim
Status:
Awarded
Awarded:
Urban Development Project of the Year
Additional Files
Grand Plaza photos
Additional Information

Grand Plaza by the numbers:
Begin Construction May 2012
End Construction Dec 2012
Size – 100,000 square-feet; approx. 2.3 acres
3 water features that hold a total of 27,000 gallons of water
Ocean Fountain sprays water up to 40’ in the air
River of Lights includes approx 300 LED fixtures with infinite color options
151 palm trees (82 new and 69 replanted)
48 ft tall lighted monument sign in the traffic circle
65 ft traffic circle radius
80,000 square feet of colored concrete and pavers

Anaheim Convention Center Grand Plaza

Project Location:

The project is located at the Anaheim Convention Center, off of Convention Way; and just south of Disneyland

Project Description:

The Anaheim Convention Center Grand Plaza was transformed from a busy vehicular roadway shared with high pedestrian usage into a 100,000 square foot pedestrian-friendly outdoor area utilized year-round for a variety of events.  The project was a public-private partnership between the City of Anaheim, the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, and Resort District Hotels. It is located at the end of Convention Way, and framed by the Convention Center to the west, the Hilton Anaheim Hotel to the north, and the Anaheim Marriot Hotel to the south.

The scope of work consisted of relocation of underground utilities including a major water transmission line and storm drain, new water features with underground vaults, specialized concrete decorative paving with intricate patterns and embedded color aggregates, planting and transplanting of hundreds of mature trees, installation of more than 300 DMX controlled in-ground light fixtures.  In addition, weekly coordination meetings between 3 hotels, the convention center, visitor’s bureau, contractor and city staff, resulted in aggressively addressing construction impacts, scheduled events, and construction black out days which ultimately enabled the project to complete immediately prior to the largest annual convention.

The Grand Plaza provides the ultimate outdoor meeting venue space for various events such concerts, meetings, and receptions, yet the space is versatile enough to be used as a relaxing lounging area, area to throw a ball, open gathering space, or even an outdoor theater.  While the Plaza provides a new pedestrian friendly area that improves both the pedestrian safety and the vehicular access relationship in a highly congested and busy area, the traffic circle maintains the entrances to the hotels for vehicular access. 

The design elements of the Grand Plaza are representative of Anaheim and Orange County’s natural landscape as described in the following storyline:

The “River of Light” is the winding blue segment of decorative concrete infused with light features that connects the fountains at each end of the plaza.  It is symbolic of the Santa Ana River that flows from the mountains to the sea. Over 300 individually controlled in-grade LED lights with over 1,500 channels of control comprise of the “River of Light” that runs along the length of the plaza. These luminaries pulsate in sequence between each of the three fountains resulting in a landscape of light that flows from one fountain to the next.

The “Mountain Fountain” is the first fountain and represents the Santa Ana Mountains that can be seen in the distance, east of the Grand Plaza. It lies collinear with the “River of Light” and Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The fountain walls contain different water levels and their sedimentary veneer finish is inspired by an eroded mountainside. It also has a lighting system that is in synch with the choreography and changing colors of the “River of Light.”

The “Anaheim Fountain” consists of four graceful arching arbor structures, inspired by the date palm, representing the original four boundaries of the Anaheim colony (North, South, East, and West Streets). The arbor structures change color as the river lights illuminate.

The “River of Light” flows into the “Ocean Fountain” that is comprised of three levels of upward projecting water and LED lit amphitheater seating for concerts and small venue events. The entirety of the Grand Plaza requires only 16,000 watts of light, equal to 0.16 watts per square foot.

Project Justification:

The Anaheim Convention Center Grand Plaza is an innovative infrastructure project which not only created a present day pedestrian and event friendly outdoor space, but also constructed an area that connects to the future Anaheim Rapid Transit (ARC) planned for the area and then ultimately to the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC).  A goal is to implement a link to future public transportation in addition to accounting for current pedestrian and vehicle patterns.  But a true benefit of building the Grand Plaza was allowing for the co-existence of pedestrians and vehicles in a heavily event driven environment in a manner that allowed the area to flourish.  As with many construction projects, coordination and joint partnership between the stakeholders is relied upon, especially in a service environment that provides continuous 24 hour a day, 7 days a week access to thousands of visitors and vendors.

Special Circumstances:

Intense coordination of construction for the Grand Plaza allowed an 18 month project to be constructed in only 8 months and on budget.  The challenges were compounded by the requirement to maintain continuous 24 hours a day, 7 days a week vehicular and pedestrian access for thousands of daily visitors and service vendors to the hotels and convention center.  It was successfully achieved by strategically breaking the construction into phases, each engineered to enable construction to be performed in necessary sequences, without interrupting day-to-day activities and operations.  In addition, the construction team kept in constant communication with the Convention Center, Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, and various service providers to address the many unusual conditions that the service industry has to address.

Accolades received to date:
American Public Works Association (APWA) - Project of the Year
American Concrete Institute (ACI) – Decorative Use of Concrete in Construction
Anaheim Arts Council – Art in Public Places Award – Julie Mayer Award - 1st place

Project Attachments:

Supporting documentation:
Grand Plaza Website:
http://anaheimoc.org/GrandPlaza/index.php

Grand Opening Ceremony Video (includes construction time lapse sequence):
http://anaheimoc.org/GrandPlaza/skin/default/images/media/grand-plaza-opening.mp4
or
http://anaheimoc.org/GrandPlaza/grand-plaza-opening-video.php


Concept Video:
http://anaheimoc.org/GrandPlaza/skin/default/images/media/welcome.mp4

Award Citation::

The Anaheim Convention Center Grand Plaza provides the ultimate outdoor meeting space. The Grand Plaza provided a new pedestrian friendly area that improved both the pedestrian safety and the vehicular access relationship.  The choice of beautification design elements were specifically chosen as sustainable features.  The impressive “river of light” feature was specially created with energy saving LED lights, while the landscaping utilized both existing trees and draught tolerant planting.

Suggested Award Summary:

The Anaheim Convention Center Grand Plaza was transformed from a busy vehicular roadway shared with high pedestrian usage into a 100,000 square foot pedestrian-friendly outdoor area utilized year-round for a variety of events.  The project was a public-private partnership between the City of Anaheim, the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, and Resort District Hotels. It is located at the end of Convention Way, and framed by the Convention Center to the west, the Hilton Anaheim Hotel to the north, and the Anaheim Marriot Hotel to the south.

The scope of work consisted of relocation of underground utilities including a major water transmission line and storm drain, new water features with underground vaults, specialized concrete decorative paving with intricate patterns and embedded color aggregates, planting and transplanting of hundreds of mature trees, installation of more than 300 DMX controlled in-ground light fixtures.  In addition, weekly coordination meetings between 3 hotels, the convention center, visitor’s bureau, contractor and city staff, resulted in aggressively addressing construction impacts, scheduled events, and construction black out days which ultimately enabled the project to complete immediately prior to the largest annual convention.

The design elements of the Grand Plaza are representative of Anaheim and Orange County’s natural landscape as described in the following storyline:

The “River of Light” is the winding blue segment of decorative concrete infused with light features that connects the fountains at each end of the plaza.  It is symbolic of the Santa Ana River that flows from the mountains to the sea. Over 300 individually controlled in-grade LED lights with over 1,500 channels of control comprise of the “River of Light” that runs along the length of the plaza. These luminaries pulsate in sequence between each of the three fountains resulting in a landscape of light that flows from one fountain to the next.

The “Mountain Fountain” is the first fountain and represents the Santa Ana Mountains that can be seen in the distance, east of the Grand Plaza. It lies collinear with the “River of Light” and Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The fountain walls contain different water levels and their sedimentary veneer finish is inspired by an eroded mountainside.

The “Anaheim Fountain” consists of four graceful arching arbor structures, inspired by the date palm, representing the original four boundaries of the Anaheim colony (North, South, East, and West Streets). The arbor structures change color as the river lights illuminate.

The “River of Light” flows into the “Ocean Fountain” that is comprised of three levels of upward projecting water and LED lit amphitheater seating for concerts and small venue events. The entirety of the Grand Plaza requires only 16,000 watts of light, equal to 0.16 watts per square foot.

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