Modernfold manufactures operable partitions, glass wall systems and accordion doors. On projects above a certain scale, the manufacturer works through a dedicated Major Projects team providing factory-direct design consultation, coordinating with the project's structural engineers, acousticians and interior designers from the design phase through to installation. Two convention centre projects illustrate what that coordination involves in practice.
BMO Centre, Calgary
The expansion of the BMO Centre in Calgary, Alberta, produced the largest convention centre in Western Canada, at over one million square feet. The manufacturer's Major Projects team ran the work as a joint venture with the Canadian distributor Inter-Co Division 10, supporting the project from inception through design, engineering, production and installation. A total of 323 panels were installed.
At this scale the technical variables are not the ones that dominate a single-room specification. Panel weight determines the structural provision required above the ceiling across the whole floor plate; storage pocket dimensions have to be reserved in the plan before partitions are laid out; and track routing has to be reconciled with services, structure and the building's circulation. Extended collaboration with the architectural, design and engineering firms involved was needed to settle design decisions at every level of detail.
Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center, Chula Vista
The Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center in Chula Vista, California, combines 1,600 rooms with a convention centre housing over 1,000 Modernfold operable wall panels and track. The project was expected to open in summer 2025.
Its defining constraint is environmental. The building is designed to comply with California's Title 24 Energy Code, a standard that exceeds the requirements of LEED certification, making it one of the more sustainable resort destinations in the United States. The operable walls contribute to several LEED credit categories, including indoor environmental quality — a reminder that on projects pursuing certification, movable partitions are part of the environmental submission rather than a neutral element within it. The client had previously worked with the same team on the sister property, Gaylord Rockies, and the relationship with the developer and its preferred construction and architectural firms was maintained across a multi-year programme.
What large-scale coordination requires
What both projects have in common is that the partition package was treated as a design problem from the outset rather than a procurement item resolved late. For architects planning venues of this size, the practical implication is that panel weight, storage depth, track routing and acoustic targets are best settled during design development, when the structure above the ceiling and the plan dimensions can still accommodate them.
Project summary — BMO Centre
| Location | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Year | 2024 |
| Type of Building | Convention center (over 1,000,000 sq ft) |
| Design Team | Modernfold Major Projects team, Inter-Co Division 10 (distributor) |
| Product Used | Modernfold Operable Partitions (323 panels) |
Project summary — Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center
| Location | Chula Vista, California, United States |
| Year | 2025 |
| Type of Building | Resort hotel and convention center (1,600 rooms) |
| Design Team | Modernfold Major Projects team |
| Product Used | Modernfold Operable Partitions (over 1,000 panels and track) |
Technical documentation and brochures for Modernfold operable partitions are available from the manufacturer. Click here to download.
