Fentress Architects and the San Diego Convention Center Corporation have approved the selection of two San Diego architecture firms to join the San Diego Convention Center expansion team.

Tucker Sadler Architects and Joseph Wong Design Associates were selected based on each firm�s working knowledge of the existing facility, their success on past projects with the convention center and the experience of key personnel.

Pending approvals, the expansion could begin construction in 2013 and be operational in 2015.

Fentress� proposed conceptual design for the bayside expansion will create a sustainable 5-acre waterfront public space, the largest ballroom along the Pacific Coast and the largest contiguous exhibit space west of the Mississippi River. The design, which is intended to achieve LEED gold certification, reduces the building mass and volume of a prior conceptual design by 38% while meeting all program requirements.

Fentress Architects, an international design firm with California studios in Los Angeles and San Jose, is known for designing two of the first LEED gold convention centers in the U.S., Santa Fe and Pasadena; and Denver, one of the three largest LEED certified convention centers in the nation. Fentress ranks #2 for �Top Green Designers� in California by California Construction magazine and is currently designing the modernization of Los Angeles International Airport.

San Diego�s expansion is expected to generate an additional $17.1 million annually, according to the Mayor�s Citizen�s Task Force. Officials estimate the expansion will create more than 6,500 permanent jobs and provide an annual economic impact of $698 million for local businesses and the city, in addition to the center�s current $1.3 billion impact.