St. Louis-based Kwame Building Group has begun work on the $1.8 billion addition to the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, Washington. As a subconsultant to the Clark-Lewis Joint Venture team, KWAME’s role is to augment the project’s quality assurance and quality control staff. The 1.4-million-square-foot expansion is expected to complete in 2021 and open for events in 2022.

Located in downtown Seattle, the new facility will feature a new 255,000-square-foot exhibition hall, 60,000-square-foot ballroom and a collective 125,000 square feet of meeting rooms. These areas will be spread across several levels of modular, multi-function spaces to support a wide range of uses and event types. The Addition was designed with strict sustainability features and is targeted for LEED Gold certification.

KWAME’s responsibilities include the delivery of quality assurance and construction inspection services in support of various structural and architectural elements of the project. As a Minority Business Enterprise, KWAME is contributing towards the project’s goal of $80 million in participation by Women and Minority Business Enterprise firms.