Contract - January/February 2013 - (Page 75)
Bentel & Bentel Architects/Planners
Updating public spaces in one of New York’s busiest
hotels is no small task, but is one that Bentel &
Bentel Architects/Planners handled with finesse—in
both delivery and design—to deliver a striking and
sophisticated space. The Grand Hyatt New York,
next door to the city’s historic Grand Central
Terminal, needed a new design for its tri-level lobby
incorporating registration and concierge areas, a
24-hour market, a three-meal restaurant, and a suite
of meeting rooms. A two-year plan was carried out to
transform the hotel into a functional and inviting
urban public space, while allowing the hotel to keep
its doors open during the renovation.
In order to maintain hotel operations, the
architects largely worked with the existing materials
in the lobby. “Our mantra became ‘transformation
rather than replacement,’” says Peter Bentel, lead
designer on the project. The design team spent time
researching patination methods to produce a cooler,
darker finish on the existing large bronze columns,
and new finishes were chosen to either blend in with
the dark metal finish or act as a counterpoint. “Blues,
browns, and grays of the carpet and furniture
reinforce the dark tones,” he explains. “The lighter
tans, off-whites, and white metals—such as polished
stainless steel—provide contrast and give focus to
areas such as the registration desk.”
The designers rethought the hotel lobby as a
great, urban space on par with the waiting room of
Grand Central or the Sculpture Garden at the
Museum of Modern Art. Their instinct was spot-on:
The courtyard of the original Vanderbilt Hotel once
stood on the site of the current lobby, affirming
Bentel & Bentel’s goal of crafting a grand, connected
public space. This was achieved in large part by
prominently displayed works of art because,
according to Bentel, “around the world, and certainly
in New York, memorable urban spaces have powerful
artwork.” On the main lobby level, two 10-foot-tall
hotel
By Emily Hooper
Photography by
Eduard Hueber/archphoto
sculptures of female heads by the Spanish artist
Jaume Plensa cannot be missed, with one
conspicuously balancing on a three-tiered water
feature. A glass installation inspired by the ocean
horizon was also commissioned of Norwegian artist
Per Fronth for the hotel’s Wine Gallery.
The massive 20,000-square-foot lobby was
opened up with soaring ceilings and unimpeded
sightlines, and finished in a palette of dark wood and
“This is as much a rebranding of the hotel chain as it is of the street
front it abuts. It successfully draws people in with its vibrant
and decadent public space. It defines a new model for hotel lobbies
as civic rooms.” JURY
stone, softened by gray-striped carpet. Low-backed,
black leather lounge seating provides ample
touchdowns for visitors while preserving sightlines
across the grand room. White quartz check-in and
concierge desks are identified under brighter
lighting. Uplighting, meanwhile, floods the ceiling
and subtly changes color over the course of 24 hours
to follow the phases of daylight.
Tucked into a space at the back of the lobby, a
proscenium-like blackened steel frame outlines the
open-front Market. Illuminated columns highlight
fresh, white wall tile, polished concrete service
counters, and glass display cases. End-grain wood
floors warm the space and invite visitors in to nosh
in the café or grab something to go.
The level above the main lobby has its own
attraction: a glass-roofed box cantilevered over the
42nd Street sidewalk, housing the hotel’s new
restaurant. To maximize the space within the long,
6,000-square-foot footprint, the architects utilized
stepped levels that cascade down toward the lobby,
mimicking the tiered water feature. Above, a ceiling
sculpture of the firm’s design resembling a surging
flock of birds introduces movement and decorative
lighting while visually connecting the dining spaces
to the restaurant bar and semi-private Wine Gallery.
The latter features speckled gray marble, white
quartz counters, and Per Fronth’s 30-foot-long glass
art panel.
Centrally located for business travelers, the
hotel is outfitted with a variety of meeting and event
spaces, from the lobby and mezzanine levels’ rooms
to dedicated conference and ballroom levels and
14th-floor executive boardrooms. As with the other
public areas, meeting suites boast a major piece of
commissioned art to transform the ordinary
business meeting into something extraordinary. “We
were fortunate that Hyatt was on board with this
mission to transform the hotel space with art and
was willing to commit to the expense,” Bentel says. c
contract
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - January/February 2013
Contract - January/February 2013
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Product Briefs: Lighting
Product Focus: Bonaire and Buxom
Designer of the Year
Legend Award
34th annual interiors awards
Large Office
Small Office
Hotel
Restaurant
Healthcare
Education
Public Space
Showroom
Entertainment
Sustainable
Adaptive Reuse
Retail
Student
Designers Select: Tables and Desks
Sources
Ad Index
Public Interest Design
Perspective: Michael Graves on the Lost Art of Drawing
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