Boutique Design - December 2017 - 104

2017 gold key AwArds

best Hotel midscale
finalist

ac Hotel Portland downtown
Portland, oregon
The Designer

SERA Architects, Portland, Oregon

The scripT Distill a unique but seamless experience for both guests and locals by intermixing the concept of men's suits-with their tailored, timeless details-with a showcase of
Portland's multifaceted craft industry.
The shooT To showcase the local art, the designers integrated specific niches into the
hotel's layout and imbued them with a neutral palette to create a gallery-style space. Noteworthy art installations within the hotel include an 11-foot tall cast aluminum tree slab
sculpture in the lobby that's not only a nod to the local history of the timber industry, but
also incorporates a functional door for the coffee shop, and a locally crafted ram sculpture
(nicknamed Antonio by the hotel staff, in honor of AC brand founder Antonio Catalan) that
draws guests' eyes from the coffee bar through a long lounge corridor. The guest rooms,
meantime, all include colorful photographic art that represents Portland culture.
The DirecTor's cuT Raise the bar: The designers say the hotel's bar is the most prominent nod to its tailored design motif, thanks to such touches as marble panels cut in with
metallic accents and bronzed glass mirrors.
The Trailer Find ways to make the most of what you've got. The hotel is sited on a tight
urban lot, so the designers said they took such steps as utilizing an abundance of reflective
and transparent materials to help the small-footprint hotel have a big visual impact.

SOURCES
oWners: McWhinney, Denver; Sage Hospitality, Denver; operaTor: Sage Hospitality,
Denver; Design FirM & archiTecT: SERA Architects, Portland, Oregon: Lisa Zangerle,
Kurt Schultz, Jon McAuley, Courtney Laird, Becca Dobosh, Gary Golla, Haresh Vibhakar,
John Cline, Natalie Albright, Dan Jenkins, Russ Pitkin and Brian Stevens, design team;
purchasing coMpanY: Absolute Procurement, Portland; general conTracTor:
Mortenson Construction; Design consulTanTs: Balzhiser and Hubbard Engineers,
Inc. (civil); KPFF Consulting Engineers (structural); archiTecTural MaTerials:
Armstrong; USG; ArT & accessories: Heidi McBride; FaBrics: Architex/LJH;
Camira; Designtex; HBF; Richloom Contract; Valley Forge Fabrics; FloorcoVerings:
Bentley Mills; Ecosurfaces; Forbo; Kush Handmade Rugs; Mannington Commercial;
Patcraft; Shaw Contract; Stone Source; FurniTure: Aceray; Amuneal Manufacturing
Corp.; Andreu World; Bernhardt Hospitality; Cape Contract; D'Style Inc.; Fairmont
Designs, Haworth; JLF/Lonemeadow; Molo Design; Naughtone; RH Contract; Sandler
Seating; Watson Desking; lighTing: Buzzispace; Electric Mirror; Flos; Rich Brilliant
Willing; Roll & Hill; Stickbulb; surFacing MaTerials: Arpa Fenix; Caeserstone;
Formica; Johnsonite; Miller Paint; Pental Quartz; Pulp Studio; Stone Source; Wilsonart;
WallcoVerings: Designtex; WinDoW TreaTMenTs: KCL Marketing

finalist

citizenm tower of london
concrete, Amsterdam

The scripT Take it up several notches at the affordable luxury brand's second
London locale by including such elements as CoffeeM, a coffee/pastry shop demarcated by a dropdown ceiling on the ground floor, and the two-story SocietyM on its
upper floors that represents an ambitious take on hotel conference/meeting rooms.
The shooT Bye, bye, bleak conference spaces: The hotel's top two floors are
home to eight state-of-the-art conference rooms with whiteboards, chalkboard
walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. Adjacent to those spaces is the double-story
CloudM, which features massive oak cabinets, balconies, soft seating and a large
bar area adjacent to an outside terrace that offers up the locale's impressive views.

SOURCES
oWner/operaTor: citizenM, Amsterdam; Design FirM: concrete, Amsterdam: Rob Wagemans,
Erikjan Vermeulen, Maarten de Geus, Eva Stekelenburg, Tom Ruijken, Sofie Ruytenberg, Sander Vredeveld,
Michael Woodford and Jurjen van Hulzen, design team; archiTecT & purchasing coMpanY:
citizenM, Amsterdam; general conTracTor: Balfour Beatty; Design consulTanTs: Sheppard
Robson (executive architect); Ramboll (structural); BMC Engineering LLC (MEP); Balfour Beatty
Engineering Services Ltd. (MEP); BuroHappold Engineering (MEP): Peter Dann (room engineering);
ArchiTecTural MaTerials: Polcom Group; Roord Binnenbouw; arTs & accessories: Adriana
Minolti; Andy Warhol; Anne de Vries; Assume Vivid Astro Focus; Bricks Studio; Dominic Harris; Julian
Opie; Katharina Bernhardt; KesselsKramer; Lisa Ruyter; Peter Lamb; Rafaël Rozendaal; Studio Drift;
FurniTure: Artek; e15 Design und Distributions GmbH; Fermob; Hay; Magis; Vitra; lighTing:
Anglepoise; Frandsen; Frederik Roije; Guby; Modernica; Piet Hein Eek; Moooi; TDE Lighttech; Tom Dixon

104 boutiquedesign.com

december 2017

The DirecTor's cuT The hotel's guest rooms reflect the brand's "Everything you need, and nothing you don't" mantra by offering up guest rooms that
are miniature marvels of efficiency. The hotel's 370 modular rooms-which are
prefabricated elsewhere then stacked on-site-include a king-size bed, large
windows and a small desk, along with a "mood pad" that guests can use to do
such tasks as change the lighting and temperature within the space. To add
individuality to the rooms, each is home to two quirky pieces of art.
The Trailer Let there be light. Helping energize the hotel's first floor is a large
skylight in a courtyard that allows brings a hefty dose of sunshine into the space.

B e n j a m i n B e n s c h n e i d e r ( ac h O T e L ) ; r i c h a r d P O w e r s ( c i T i z e n m )

Design FirM
http://www.boutiquedesign.com
Boutique Design - December 2017

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