DANIEL WELBORN COUR TE S Y OF HOTEL FELIX (HOTEL); COUR TE S Y OF GE T T YS ( WELBORN) PRINCIPAL-DESIGN AMERICAS, GETTYS When natural disasters hit, hotels have traditionally served as places of refuge. As the number of strong storms seems to be increasing, hotels have a unique opportunity to help even more in these instances by creating additional sleeping spaces through clever design that can then be offered at a discount to those in need. Design solutions for these situations can include the following: • Subdivide ballrooms and other larger meeting areas with such common hotel items as tables and screens, then equip those smaller spaces with cots. • Provide power and water to those temporarily occupying such subdivided spaces by installing a series of in-floor access panels. • Add shower facilities that can be made accessible to those occupying a hotel’s common areas during an emergency. HOTEL FELIX Gettys’ sustainable projects include the Hotel Felix in Chicago, which has attained LEED silver certification. MARCH 2013 boutiquedesign.com 47http://www.boutiquedesign.com