Design Process and Looking Forward

Well as usual, summer has flown by.  I hope everyone had some fun and is ready to start the fall semester on Monday with some great energy!  As many of you know, the Studio 2 class last Spring had an opportunity to work on something incredible.  It's currently under construction and more progress information will follow.  This is a quick look back at the semester and the collaborative design process.  Enjoy.

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Summertime 2011

Summer school begins this week and although there are limited sections available, I know there will be lots of familiar faces around the campus.  We have a full section of ID 100 starting tomorrow for the next 8 weeks and the summer Internship Academy is in full swing.

In the Spring 2011 semester, the Studio 2 class had an amazing opportunity to work with a local A&D firm (that’s Architecture and Design) to help design a showroom for Architxture, a Steelcase Dealership.  The project was very much REAL!  A real client, real deadlines and it will really be built and hopefully also achieve LEED certification!

The class was amazing.  The teamwork, shared ideas, collaboration and communication were top notch.  There was excitement in the air every Thursday evening and several Monday evenings too when the class met for client presentations.

As the semester came to an end, a final presentation to the client showcased the hard work, creative thinking and teamwork of the entire class.

Several of the students are continuing on as interns with Studio SA this summer.  There they will be following along the progress of the Architxture project, and become immersed in the day to day activities of a Design Studio.  Each week, we will publish an update and hopefully some photos so you can follow along from near and far to see what the future looks like.

Enjoy your summer and happy to have you following us along here too!

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Case Study: W Hollywood Hotel & Residences

Glitz, glam, and green are what I would describe the new W hotel in Hollywood that was just opened January 28, 2010. Located at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, the W Hotel and Residences is only one of a long chain of W Hotels around the world by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. The property consists of two 15-story towers containing 300 hotel rooms and 144 condo residences. Its design captures a contemporary chic vibe, while paying tribute to classic Hollywood imagery. Every detail, from the red carpet at the front entrance to the rhinestoned peep holes on every door, is homage to the old school Hollywood scene.

Starting at the front entrance, where guests can walk on the red carpet made of red terrazzo with custom-made integral red aggregate that then continues on as a plush carpet leading to the lobby area. A hallway on the left leads to the elevator lifts for hotel guests while a circular white croc-embossed leather sofa is present in the center of the room.

Adjacent to the lobby area is the grand Living Room (a signature room in every W Hotel). Immediately, we spot the main focal point. A huge white marble spiral staircase lined with more red carpet against a curved bronze mosaic wall as well as an incredible 18-foot tiered chandelier of cascading Swarovski crystals. Then we see the black tufted leather seating created for conversing and relaxing with some beverages made from the Living Room Bar.

The bar counter was backlit Onice Fantastico Onyx that gave a really neat warm glow, especially during the night when the lighting of the entire room switched to match the mood of the nightlife outside.

On the opposite side of the Living Room Bar is a floor-to-ceiling window looking out to the outdoor bar, called Station Hollywood. The patio is nestled back against the Metro Station entrance designed by Sharilyn Olson Rigdon of designstudio ltd. Furnishings include woven resin chairs, low sonokeling wood tables and silver alligator-skin ottomans. Also, there is a VIP area on a raised wood deck with its own private seating area that has the best view to the 20' retractable screen with a Panasonic HD projector and surround sound stereo system, the hotel's own silver screen.

Being a guest there this past September, I had the privilege to stay in one of their hotel rooms for one night and experience their excellent Whatever/Whenever service. I stayed in there "Wonderful Room" which had a large window seat with satiny vinyl that looked out on the Hollywood streets and two beds made with goose down comforters and pillows. Behind the beds are white tufted headboards with a matching mini bar and a globe lighting pendant above. In the bathroom, white Carrara marble covers the floor with a polished white marble vanity. One thing I found interesting was a slim floor-to-ceiling frosted glass pane that gave a small glimpse into the shower from the main area.

Other than their overpriced food (I payed $10 for just three small scoops of ice cream), the overall design throught the hotel was very impressive.

W Hotel Hollywood is also the largest LEED certified property in Southern California and the first LEED certified building in Los Angeles. There are many aspects that contribute to its silver level certification, some of which are energy-efficient windows that have overhangs to provide shade, a white heat-deflecting "cool roof" on the pool area to eliminate the inconvenient feeling of hot feet, installed electric ports to recharge electric cars and hybrids in the garages of the residences, high-performance glass that keeps heat out (as opposed to trapping the heat in), an efficient irrigation and plumbing system with the use of faucets designed for low water usage and energy efficient appliances, and recycled low toxicity construction materials used to build the property. But the most important green feature that the hotel offers is that the hotel is sitting on top of a Metro Red Line Station, whose entrance is in front of the hotel right off of the Hollywood walk of Fame. This easy accessability will encourage use of public transportation.

The W Hotel is sleek, chic, and all-around swanky! I'm so glad I got to experience its beauty in person. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any celebrities during my brief stay, but I'm sure some have stayed or visited the newly built hotel in the past. This is a place that I would definitely recommend other people to see and soak in all its glory. The next time you visit Hollywood, make sure you take a look at the new W Hotel.

Project Credits

Link to Pictures
Project: W Hollywood Hotel & Residences
Client: Gatehouse Capital/HEI Resorts & Hotels

Architect: HKS

Interior Designer (residences): Daly Genik Architects

Interior Designer (hotel): Architropolis (early phase), Myhre Group (middle phase), Designstudio ltd. with Lee and Sakahara (final phase)

Interior Designer (restaurant): Zeff Design

Mechanical Engineer: Critichfield Mechanical

Structural Engineer: DCI Engineers

Electrical Engineer: Rosendin Electric

Civil Engineer: Fuscoe Engineering
Geotechnical Engineer: Golder Associates

General Contractor: Webcor Builders

Landscape Architect: Rios Clementi Hale Studios

Signage: Sussman/Preiza

Lighting: Kaplan Gehring McCarroll Architectural Lighting

Art: Lendrum Fine Art

Acoustics: Charles M. Salter Associates; Acoustonica (hotel acoustics)

Size: 969,726 gross square feet

Materials & Sources

Coatings: GE
Building Management System: Siemens

Carpet: Atlas Carpet Mills, Design Origins, Masland Carpets, Fabrica Fine Carpets & Rugs

Exterior Wall Systems: Werner Systems (plaster wall), Clark Pacific (precast), STO (plaster)
Glass: Oldcastle

Gypsum:USG, Georgia/Pacific

HVAC: Critchfield MechanicalLighting: iWorks, Hallmark Lighting, Lightolier, Elliptipar, Translite-Sonoma, Vision 3 Lighting, G Lighting, Kurt Versen, Specialty Lighting Industries

Stone: Cold Spring Granite

Paints and Finishes: Frazee
Wallcoverings: Wolf Gordon, MDC Wallcoverings

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