Sustainability and a broad range of uses are at the heart of the newly redesigned Minneapolis Convention Center Plaza located on the south side of downtown. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Sept. 30 to celebrate the 2.5-acre plaza that is built atop an underground parking ramp and includes a lawn area for events, updated lighting, and new walkways and seating options.
Designed by Damon Farber Landscape Architects with environmental friendliness in mind, MCC Plaza also features irrigation utilizing the Convention Center’s stormwater capture system and an urban meadow planted with native tree and plant species to create downtown’s largest pollinator refuge.
Minneapolis Convention Center is owned by the City of Minneapolis and marketed through Meet Minneapolis. The 1.6 million square foot facility features 475,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 3,400 fixed-seat auditorium, 87 meeting rooms and two ballrooms. The facility has achieved key certifications for being environmentally friendly such as being LEED Certified for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (EBOM) by the U.S. Green Building Council and having Level One certification for the ASTM Standard pertaining to the Evaluation and Selection of Venues for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows and Conferences.