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12. a Gensler publication
Talking about... Leisure & Hospitality
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Features
Experience matters
Leisure today is all about experience. And while high-end hotels and resorts actively seek an affair of
Departments
the heart with their clientele, brands at every price point have customer loyalty in mind. This has led a
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few of them to sell their hotels (often at record prices) and focus exclusively on delivering the quality
ROUNDTABLE LEISURE BIZ
of experience that their brands imply.
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(, INSIGHT THE RIGHT MIX
Even as hospitality brands seek to differentiate themselves, their clientele is converging in interesting ways. The young influence their elders (think iPods and business casual), and the distinction between
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travel for business or pleasure is much less relevant. People increasingly want to combine the two.
)& NEWS & VIEWS SHORT TAKES
As cities compete to attract (and keep) new businesses and tourism, they are putting more emphasis
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DESIGNER’S NOTEBOOK DUNCAN PATERSON
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on the qualities that make them livable and worth visiting. Cities like Chicago and San Diego are discovering new ways to create “destination value” as a catalyst for speeding up the process of redevelopment and revitalization. Boomtowns like Dubai, Las Vegas, and Shanghai are embracing urbanity as a means of sustaining their growth and prosperity. As with hospitality, the quality of the
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experience makes all the difference.
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Editor
Contributors
Editorial Board
John Parman
Lisa Beazley Andrew Blum Dan Brents Kenneth Caldwell Barbara McCarthy Ron Nyren Matthew Richardson Rupal Shah
Andy Cohen Art Gensler David Gensler Diane Hoskins Robin Klehr Avia
Art Director
Jane Brown Designer
Peiti Chia Managing Editor
Jane Ariyoshi Photo Editor
Brian Pobuda
Advisors
Andy Cohen Mark Coleman Tom Ito
Gensler is a leading architecture, design, planning, and consulting firm, with offices in North America, East Asia, and Western Europe. Dialogue magazine, published three times a year, focuses on design’s ability to transform organizations and improve people’s lives. Dialogue is produced by Gensler Publications, © 2006 Gensler. To comment or subscribe, please write us at dialogue@gensler.com. Printed by Hatcher Press, Inc. with soy inks on recycled paper. www.gensler.com
Production Manager
John Burger
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OUT TIME
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People used to talk about work-life balance.
In response, the hospitality industry is busy
Today, work and life are no longer seen as
expanding its scope. Developers, hoteliers,
opposites seeking equilibrium, but as a constant
restaurateurs, spa owners, entertainment
flow of activities that mix work with play. We’d
impresarios, and conference organizers are all
all like to unplug completely, but that isn’t easy, so
joining together to create holistic experiences
we look for ways to unplug in the midst of work—
that envelop travelers in a world apart from the
and sometimes to plug back in again while at play.
everyday. They’re accommodating every aspect of the customer lifestyle, with the conscious goal
It’s a paradox of modern life that the faster we
of extending and deepening the relationship.
move, the less time we have. No one knows this
“The typical hotel experience is evolving,” says
better than the frequent business traveler. Even
Gensler’s Tom Ito. “Time is such a rare commodity
compared to a few years ago, technology’s tether
these days that people are looking for something
is ubiquitous, meaning we work all the time. But
special and unique. And they’ll pay extra for it.”
now there’s a crucial difference: leisure is right there, ready for us whenever we’re ready for it.
Multitasking as a lifestyle Hotels are not just a place to sleep now, but also
Leisure has become work’s new leitmotif. Spouses
an integral part of a richer scene. This is why
are coming along on business trips, and business
shopping and hotels are joined at the hip. Retail is
colleagues are seeking more spaces to relax
often an element of new hotel development, while
in together. Shopping is more fun—and more
“lifestyle centers”—street-like outdoor malls—are
convenient—in stolen hours on the road, rather
putting hotel rooms in with their existing mix of
than amidst Saturday afternoon traffic jams back
retail and restaurants. Add meeting venues and
at home. An hour or two at a hotel’s spa practically
you have all the makings of a self-contained urban
qualifies as a vacation, and conferences are
environment. The energy and activity it generates
becoming the most feasible of family getaways.
has become a key part of the hotel experience. MGM MIRAGE’s Project CityCenter in Las Vegas takes this notion to a new level. Conceived as an urban mega-resort, it anchors the Strip with a healthy slice of urbanity: 600,000 square-feet of high-end shopping, dining, and entertainment set amidst hotel and residential towers to create a dynamic cityscape. There’s a casino, too, but it’s just one element of a sophisticated package aimed at an urbane and affluent demographic.
(From left) Hotel InterContinental, Chicago, IL; Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA; Palazzo Spa at Park La Brea; Los Angeles, CA; Los Angeles Convention Center Hotel and Condominiums; and McCoy Station, Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort, Mammoth Lakes, CA.
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Or take Dubai, where a massive new Ritz-Carlton
Letting people escape and unwind
Hotel is under construction within the boundaries
Formality used to be the order of the day for
of the Dubai International Financial Centre free-
business hotel dining and meeting spaces. No
trade zone. It may resolutely be a business hotel,
more. Business is conducted now in less formal
but everything a tourist could ever want is close at
settings, so hoteliers are shifting gears. “It’s not just
hand. “The hotel celebrates the fact that it’s in the
about making people comfortable,” says Gensler’s
center of a business district, with an ever-present
Ed Grun. “They want to be able to escape. That
feeling of urbanism,” says Gensler London’s José
means giving them places where they can really
Sirera, who’s leading the project. “Yet you’ve also
unwind. These are revenue generators, of course,
got golf, beaches, and other sports and recreation
but they’re also redefining the hotel experience.”
getaways, right there.” Consider the $80 million refurbishment of the And in downtown Los Angeles, the LA Live
Beverly Hilton. Enhancing its informal spaces is
development includes a 1,100-room hotel as
a big part of the program. While the International
part of a larger four-million-square-foot sports,
Ballroom will remain as a showpiece with a
entertainment, and retail project.
carefully choreographed sense of arrival, the Pool Terrace is being recast as a key entertainment area
Behind all of this is the increasing agglomeration
to host events in a laidback atmosphere. The goal
of entertainment and hospitality. Las Vegas has
is to help people shake off their day. In smaller
been phenomenally successful in this, blending
hotels, the same idea might surface as a roof deck
leisure activities and then creating synergy among
with a cool bar and a plunge pool, or a Zen garden
them. Others in the leisure sector are taking
terrace with a day spa attached. The bathtub is now
notice. This doesn’t mean we’ll see Vegas-like
a piece of furniture, notes Gensler’s Paul Bellisario.
entertainment everywhere, but it reveals the
“Bathing is moving into the guest room proper,
increasing fluidity between different kinds of
making the space feel larger and more interactive.”
leisure—as well as between work and leisure. The vibrant mix of uses that results makes for
Bars and restaurants remain a hospitality mainstay,
lively places, and economically healthy ones,
but with an emerging difference: trend-setting
too. The long-term return on investment of
hoteliers are seeking out the unique. Wine bars
traditional hotel rooms can be balanced by retail’s
and microbreweries are two ways that hotels are
more immediate cash flow while stand-alone,
accentuating the local while providing a familiar
hospitality-branded condo projects, condo-hotels,
service. There’s a new emphasis on providing
and fractional ownership condos can help reduce the initial capital outlay.
(From left) Hotel InterContinental, Chicago, IL; Courtyard by Marriott, Sherman Oaks, CA; Carneros Inn (branding, signage, graphics), Napa, CA; Fess Parker Waterfront Hotel, Santa Barbara, CA; Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows, Beverly Hills, CA.
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an ambiance that speaks to “location, location,
touch point to communicate their ethos—right
fact that people often make their purchasing
location” while still channeling elements—and
down to the hotel’s graphics and its signature
decisions based on desire rather than need.
benefits—of the parent brand. The strategy makes
cocktail. “The leading hotel brands are reinventing
While need points to commodities, desire aims at
the hotel a draw for locals, and their presence
themselves,” says Bellisario. “Design is the vehicle
experience. We don’t just want a room and bed—
helps give it a cosmopolitan sense of being part
for their rejuvenation.”
we want to “live the life”—and hotels are an ideal
of the city and its scene.
stage for tasting more of it. And the best ones put The goal is to create a holistic experience. In a
it close at hand as a natural extension of our busy
Travelers want to feel plugged-in, but they also
high-end enclave like Dubai, this can mean being
lives, knowing that we’ll gladly pay more if we can
want privacy and comfort. This has led to the rise
met by a hotel representative who whisks you
fit leisure in.
of the VIP area—whether it’s a cabana, a private
through immigration and into a waiting limousine.
club or dining room, or a cordoned-off space in
More typically, it means that the hotel constantly
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a bar. For operators, it can be lucrative. Frequent
emphasizes the personal. In a business hotel,
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business travelers will often spend more for the
particularly at the upper end of the market where
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ability to mix urbanity with exclusivity. It’s less
a repeat clientele is the norm, the front desk keeps
about celebrity, though, and more about relaxing
track of guests’ preferences—right down to their
in company of the so-called “kinetic elite.” It’s also
“on arrival” room temperature and lighting level.
another way for hotels to keep their best customers coming back.
Some hotels are eliminating the check-in desk entirely, moving the process to the airport
The power of an experiential brand
limousine or the guest room itself. At resorts,
Hotel brands remain a driving force in all this
check-in even takes place over cocktails in the
activity. Developers around the world repeatedly
lounge. The seamless nature of the experience
turn to them for expertise, marketing muscle,
demands that service is provided “invisibly,” and
and their ability to meet (and anticipate) the
this requires a parallel universe—dedicated service
customer’s desires. Yet it’s often the qualities that
corridors and elevators in hotels, and below-grade
tie their individual hotels to their localities that
access and loading in larger mixed-use centers.
enable the leading hotel brands to dominate their markets. While a consistent level of service speaks
Fulfilling desires, not just meeting needs
to their clientele’s broader expectations, a unique
The hospitality industry’s embrace of an ever-
sense of place is what creates brand loyalty—one
broader range of activities, and the concomitant
memorable hotel at a time. To achieve this,
richness of the mix of uses that accompanies the
hoteliers and designers are ready to exploit every
hotel experience reflect a shift to “lifestyle”—the
(From left) The Foundation Lounge of the Hotel Commonwealth, Boston, MA; Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Dubai, UAE; Japonais Restaurant, Chicago, IL.
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ROUNDTABLE
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Simon Cooper
In my view, business and leisure travel are is president/COO of
Ritz-Carlton Hotels, L.L.C., responsible for a premier global brand and its portfolio of 60 hotels, 24 of which have opened on his watch. Since joining Ritz-Carlton in 2001, he has
definitely converging. I was in the club floor of The Peninsula in Beijing recently, and it was all couples. They were there on business, probably,
extended their brand to The Residences and The Ritz-Carlton
and using the opportunity to spend some quality
Club. He is also responsible for developing Bulgari Hotels,
leisure time together.
a joint venture between Marriott International, Inc. and
How important are demographic differences?
Bulgari S.p.A.
SC: We don’t design for a particular demographic—
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THE BUSINESS OF HOSPITALITY
Hotel brands give an imprimatur of quality to mixed-use development. At a time when great service is the price of entry, the experience they offer is what differentiates them. We asked four leading hoteliers, How do they do it?
we look at overall trends of behavior. Gen-Xers
Why do luxury hotels focus on experience?
are only 27 percent of our business, but they drive
SC: If you equate customer satisfaction with
60 to 70 percent of our decisions. That’s because
meeting guests’ expectations, we equate customer
Boomers are embracing their trends. You don’t
loyalty to that element that surpasses expectations.
have to be in your thirties to download music
We try to layer experiences and an outstanding
to your iPod or dress casually for work or for an
memory on top of a perfect stay. That idea isn’t
evening out. Our guests are embracing a more
really new. You can trace it back at least seven
casually elegant way of living, and so are we.
or eight years, when the book The Experience Economy was published. Twenty years ago, we
What else is having an impact on your hotels?
were all striving for consistency, trying to deliver
SC: Technology is driving a lot of the way we
the same sort of product around the world.
design hotels. It’s going to make the stay more
Consistency was good—Holiday Inn’s notion of
convenient, but I’m not sure it will dramatically
“no surprises.” Today, we’re in a totally different
improve the experience. Guests expect hotels to
business—consistency of service is assumed.
reflect what they’re using at home and in their
It’s the price of entry. Creating memories and
lives, and to be compatible with their equipment,
experiences is where value for the customer is
whether it’s iPods or laptops. Technology can
today. We want our guests to become emotionally
personalize the guest room climate, but that creates
attached to our brand because of their stay. It’s not
a huge and costly expectation. I’m not sure it’s
exclusively about service, and service is not just
worth it.
about people, either. It’s also about products, décor, and comfort. The guest room in particular has to be a “wow.” Do you distinguish between business and leisure travelers?
º=k[iji [nf[Yj ^ej[bi je h[\b[Yj m^Wj j^[o½h[ ki_d] Wj ^ec[ WdZ _d j^[_h b_l[i$» Simon Cooper
SC: Our business guests are often the same people
who vacation with us, so we don’t really make that distinction. Having said that, the design, décor, and
Why is Ritz-Carlton so often an element of mixed-use?
service needs around Wall Street are more focused
SC: Mixed-use is here to stay, and the Ritz-Carlton
on business needs than they are in Naples, Florida.
brand is tremendously beneficial to the developer,
But we don’t for a second think of our hotels as
whether the balance of the development is
being aimed at business or at leisure. There’s
residential or office space. For us, it means that we
no distinction in our mind between the kind of
can do a right-sized hotel. If you have a site in a
recognition and experience we try to deliver.
major U.S. city with an allowable square-footage, you’re going to fill it. Take Ritz-Carlton Battery Park. We could have done a 700-room hotel on that site, but it didn’t make any sense in that location. So we partnered with Millennium and did 277 guest rooms in conjunction with a great residential product. The developer achieved a significant premium for the residential units, because of their association with Ritz-Carlton. ( ( ( ( (
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Thomas Davis Jr., AIA
( ( ( ( ( is the senior
vice president of architecture and construction at Marriott Vacation Club International, responsible for development
caves, multiple hot tubs. Just having a swimming pool is not enough. My kids always ask if there’s a slide. Family vacation decisions worth five to
Laurence Geller
( ( ( ( ( Are business and leisure different markets, or are
is the founder of
Strategic Hotel Capital, Inc., a leading owner and asset manager of branded hotels and resorts. As president/CEO,
they converging? LG: They’re different offerings. To try to be all
things to all people—you can’t do it. That’s a
and construction of a worldwide portfolio of resort brands
ten thousand dollars can hinge on those details.
that also includes Horizons by Marriott, Marriott Grand
A lot of our customers bring kids—the split
Europe and North America, including both sophisticated
decision you make based on profitability. But
Residence, and Ritz-Carlton Club. A licensed architect,
between families and couples ranges from 60/40
high-end business and resort hotels and large convention
it’s also based on consumer research for the
he is focused on the vacation ownership and residential
to 50/50, depending on the region. We’re not
hotels—some 8,000 rooms. He is past-chairman of the
specific property, not the brand—everything
sides of the hospitality industry, an emphasis that reflects
seeing a generational split, though. People just
Industry Real Estate Financing Advisory Council of the
from questionnaires to on-line research.
his earlier experience in planned resort communities in
reach a point when they decide they like a
American Hotel and Motel Association, and a board
California and Hawaii.
particular area and they want it again and again.
member of Gaylord Entertainment Company.
Geller directs a portfolio of 17 hospitality properties in
How do entertainment, retail, and condos fit in? LG: A hotel is always a mixed-use development,
( ( ( ( (
( ( ( ( (
Do vacation club residents mix business
just like an airport. Pairing hotels with condos is
What’s driving the rise of vacation club properties?
and leisure?
TD: People go to the same hotel for years and
TD: They want business-style amenities, like
What do guests expect now, and how do you
but yield per square-foot. We’re the only ones, as
high-speed Internet access. Our customers are
deliver it?
far as I know, who measure the yield per square-
develop a brand loyalty. Then they pick one or two places where they like to go on a regular
Dieter Huckestein has overall responsibility, as chairman/CEO, for the Conrad brand of luxury hotels. Since 2004, he has overseen an active development program for Conrad Hotels that takes in Dubai, Las Vegas, Miami, Tokyo and other cities. A 35-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Huckestein previously sat on the board of Hilton Hotels Corporation for 10 years. He is also president of the International Hotel & Restaurant Association and past-chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
really the same thing—it’s not about anything else
( ( ( ( ( What does “brand” mean in hotel terms?
business people and they tend to have lifestyles
foot of our public areas, not just our guest rooms.
basis. When rates cycle up, they find themselves
DH: A brand encompasses the location and design
where their work lives and social lives are
needs—and they’ve got their own needs much
Deciding on the most profitable mix is much
paying up to $1,200 a night for two or three
more defined. The days of the hotelier telling
of the building, the interior design, and the features
mixed. Even on vacation, they’re doing some
more of a three-dimensional modeling game than
rooms, just to stay in a comfortable location.
level of business.
guests what they want are over. So it’s all about
and amenities—the different spas and restaurants.
ever before, based on research and empirical
So they say, ‘If we’re going to spend this much
consumer research now—watching lifestyle,
Every hotel has a different spin to it—it depends on
analysis. It isn’t touchy-feely experiential.
money to come here every year, maybe we should
demographic, and socioeconomic trends, and
where you are. Luxury is hard to define because it’s
an ownership side to the hotel they’ve grown to love. So they can buy a fraction of, say, a $2.5 million beachfront condominium. The fractional shares are based on the likely seasonal demand
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fractionals, and a few are into branded homes and condominiums. With a timeshare, you’re
they want. You want local flavor and flair, but it’s more about individuality. If a customer wants
a flat screen on a wall, it becomes the center of the room, visually, dominating it. So this one change has triggered a whole new design element for guest rooms. How else is technology affecting hotel design? DH: When you take a shower in the new
Conrad Tokyo, you can look out through clear glass at Tokyo Bay, or if you want privacy you The sense of place is there, but the look is modern, in keeping with our brand and with what technology makes possible.
ºBknkho _i ^WhZ je Z[\_d[ X[YWki[ _j½i YedijWdjbo [lebl_d]$» Dieter Huckestein
constantly evolving in our fast-paced society. It’s
ºJe jho je X[ Wbb j^_d]i je Wbb f[efb[¹oek YWd½j Ze _j$» Laurence Geller
she wants a room with a fireplace, you have to How do vacation clubs fit into mixed-use
timeshare business now. Some of them are into
give them what they want, not what you think
a wine bar, he won’t settle for a coffee shop. If
in a given location. All the major hospitality brands are in the
literally interviewing your customers so you can
are out and flat screens are in. When you put
can flick a switch and the glass turns milky.
LG: Our guests want things tailored to their own
just buy a home.’ Looking into it, they find there’s
It’s changing the guest rooms, too. Armoires
provide it. That’s the reality now.
not always outwardly apparent, something guests can easily see and feel. It can mean something completely different to each of them. In New York,
Why are we seeing hotel-branded residences?
luxury can mean having the hottest restaurant;
DH: You can’t build stand-alone luxury hotels
in Hong Kong, the best spa. Our Conrad brand is
anymore. The construction is so expensive that
contemporary, but with an inherent luxury based
you have to add a residential component to get
on the locale. We believe that you should allow
it funded. That’s just good capitalism, which is
What about technology? Is it changing things?
also why hotels are being converted to condos
Mid-market and at the lower end, there’s a need
the indigenous culture to imbue the design. The
TD: In the hospitality industry, “mixed-use”
LG: I’m interested in any technology that gives
basic standards have to be there, but a hotel should
in some cities. The yield is better. For us, it’s
means hotels, condominium hotels, timeshare
for homogeneity, but the higher end, that’s not
me the ability to do better research and analysis.
unfold like a story or a play: you arrive there as a
very good—when you lower the supply of guest rooms, demand goes up.
developments?
and fractional ownership units, whole ownership
the recipe for success. It’s changing at a velocity
And this raises a point: architects have to be
buying a particular view and season. With
stranger, and it makes you feel like you’re at home
real estate, and spas, golf courses, and retail.
I’ve never seen before, and you either adapt to it
much more versed in consumerism today.
ownership, even if it’s fractional, you’re buying
or you’ll end up in a graveyard spiral. People’s
away from home.
This is a huge growth area for Marriott, because
The best are consumer addicts. They understand
a specific unit. The fit-and-finish is equivalent
we can deliver all of that under one brand—and
pattern of consumption today is both brand-based
the need to get the facts so they can build on
to the hospitality brand—three, four, or five-star
often do so on one large mixed-use campus.
and needs-based. When they buy a car, they don’t
them. If architects aren’t screaming for research,
quality, but of course the units are larger.
just order a color—they go on-line and order the
DH: It depends on who they are. Baby boomers,
That’s the future for us. We believe there are
they’re not doing their job. ( ( ( ( (
Two-bedroom Marriott Vacation Club timeshare
exact car they want, right down to the leopard
with $2.1 trillion in spending power, have the most
synergies between the ownership and hotel
units are 1,280 square-feet; Ritz-Carlton Club
components. For us, it’s not just a way to get
skin stripes. Our hotels are like this. We can’t
two-bedrooms start at 1,600 square-feet, and the
the hotel built, it’s a broader investment in
physically customize them for every guest, but
residences can be 5,000 square-feet or more.
maintaining brand loyalty. Whatever the customer
we can and must customize the services. And if
The brand and service are identical with the
wants, we’ll deliver it. We’ll build shopping
the trends say “change,” we’ll change—boldly,
hotels. In most cases, they share the same
centers if that makes economic sense. If you ask
quickly, and wholeheartedly.
amenities.
someone if they want a great shopping experience
(((((
What do guests want now from a hotel?
disposable income, but GenXers, ages 25 to 45, are also a great market. They both want a hassle-free experience that meets and hopefully exceeds their expectations. Technology is part of this—it’s an
enabler that provides better service for our customers. Soon, for example, we’ll have handheld check-ins, and the front desk will be history.
at a resort, they’re going to say yes, but the Are you seeing any new amenities in
demand has to be based on the number
your properties?
of customers. ( ( ( ( (
TD: People are starting to demand theme park-
type features at resorts, particularly related to water entertainment—water slides, fountains,
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MAKE YOURSELF
AT HOME B Y R U PA L S H A H
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Allen & Overy, Canary Wharf, London, UK.
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(From left) Zurich Direct, Tokyo, JPN; Clifford Chance, Canary Wharf, London, UK; Davis, Polk & Wardwell’s shared courtyard at 1600 El Camino in Menlo Park, CA.
As devices that keep us plugged in to the wider
“The nature of work has changed,” says Collin
The downside of work’s fluidity
with shopping, restaurants, museums, theaters,
This was also true in Japan, says Gensler Tokyo’s
“It’s important to remember that leisure settings
world proliferate, we find that work follows us
Burry, a principal in Gensler’s San Francisco
The fluid nature of work today can cause people
hotels, and housing. There’s a sense of being
Steve Louie. “Spending time in the break area
really are hospitality-like,” cautions Tom Ito, who
home and often tags along when we head for the
workplace studio. “We all multitask now, shifting
to work in isolation for long stretches of time. This
part of a real community—potentially as both
was a sure sign you weren’t working.” Thanks
plans and designs hotels and resorts for a living.
beach or the slopes. Both mobility and technology
between business and personal activities—whether
means less social interaction with co-workers and
employee and resident. As Gensler New York’s
to wireless connectivity and Starbucks, that’s
“Their long-term success depends just as much
inevitably blur the lines between work and leisure.
we’re at work, at home, or somewhere in between.”
fewer opportunities for learning and brainstorming.
Thomas Vecchione points out, office towers
changing. “International firms really led the
on how they’re run as on how they’re designed.”
Hotels and resorts make a feature of their wireless
It’s in the employer’s interest to cater to this, he
It can also reduce people’s sense of belonging,
are becoming more transparent and open to the
way,” he adds, pointing to a Zurich Direct call
Staffing, servicing, and maintenance are real issues
connectivity, and cars, trains, and airplanes race
maintains. “People work at their best if they can
leaving them feeling detached from their
street. “They’re designed to let people experience
center in Tokyo that Gensler designed in the late
for cafés and fitness centers. “It sounds obvious,
to give people on the road the constant possibility
pace themselves. Having access to leisure when
company’s culture.
everything the area can offer.” Outdoor settings are
nineties. “Call centers were the nadir of Japanese
but you can’t just treat them like ordinary office
to conduct business.
needed helps them do that.”
equally important, he notes, to tie these offerings
workspace,” he says. “Zurich Direct was a start-
space if you want them to be successful.”
Amenities related to home and hospitality can
together and make it easy for people to sample
up in Tokyo, so they asked us to design a ‘caring’
He’s not alone in that view. Gary Wheeler, who
help offset this. One of their important functions
them. Suburban office campuses “are modeling
work environment that drew on home and hotel
leads Gensler’s workplace practice in London,
is to induce mobile workers to gravitate to
themselves on colleges and universities, so their
metaphors.” The appeal was immediate—they were
recently commissioned a survey of 200 senior and
places where they will naturally encounter their
amenities are becoming more sophisticated,”
flooded with applicants. And in an industry that’s
middle managers in the UK. Among its findings,
colleagues, instead of just working wherever it’s
he adds. “They have the acreage to incorporate
more like a revolving door, their turnover rate is
the survey revealed a strong correlation between
convenient. “The desire to communicate in a
recreational open space and fully equipped gyms.”
less than two percent.
workplace quality and employee performance.
relaxed environment is something people share,”
What people look for in their workday, he says,
says Gensler’s Gervais Tompkin. “These settings are
Making leisure work in the workplace
“When the workplace incorporates leisure, people
is a balance of settings that allows for focused
designed to help a socially and culturally diverse
In some cases, change management is necessary
feel they’re part on an elite—they are there by
concentration, collaboration, and downtime.
workforce quickly find common ground.”
to make leisure and its settings an acceptable part
choice,” Tompkin says. To work well, though, these
of the working day. When one high-tech company
leisure elements need to fit into the predominant
balance, including cafés and lounges, fitness
The new appeal of urbanity
in Silicon Valley opened a café in their main
work style. “You have to get into people’s heads
centers and pools, and even meditation rooms and
Cities are evolving from single-use areas, like
campus a few years ago, no one would go near it.
and understand how these spaces support the
places for the jetlagged to take a nap.
financial districts, to mixed-use. Instead of a
In a culture that emphasized productivity above all
business and enhance the workflow,” Burry adds.
solid wall of office towers, urban office workers
else, people wouldn’t risk appearing to goof off.
“Otherwise, people won’t use them.”
Companies now provide spaces to achieve this
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CITY BUILDING
B Y DA N B R E N T S
Boom times are also make-or-break times for fast-
Rapid growth fuels the temptation just to jump in
growing cities. Consider Shanghai, whose searing
and build. As a result, quantity often outweighs
pace of development reflects its stature as the
quality. As new districts and buildings come on the
business capital of the PRC. Or Dubai, whose
market that are planned and designed to a higher
ambition to be the Middle East’s preferred business
standard, lesser ones can quickly lose their value.
and leisure center has recast its economy and
This lesson isn’t lost on owners and developers—
doubled its population.
or on city and regional governments.
Cities on a roll need a growth strategy that can sustain their prosperity and give them an urbanity that’s in tune with 21st-century lifestyles.
Shanghai Shipyard, Shanghai, PRC.
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These cities want urbanity— sustaining a modern lifestyle, not just achieving its appearance.
Shanghai’s ongoing shift from heavy industry to international
is to create a real community by balancing and integrating such
finance has freed numerous sites for redevelopment. A good
uses as office, retail, leisure, housing, and support services.” To
example is the former Shanghai Shipyard along the Huangpo
do so, DIFC clusters them along two boulevards that are designed
River, where some nine million square-feet of highrise mixed-
to encourage people to walk—and interact.
use will be built. Gensler’s competition-winning plan for the area sets the new buildings back from the water’s edge, creating
In Dubai, simply diversifying the economy has given way to the
a spacious promenade along its edge. An existing slipway will
realization that the Emirate’s global identity as a business and
be recast as a museum. “Ships and shipmaking are part of the
leisure destination justifies city building at a larger scale and
city’s history, and the harbor is its most important natural feature,”
a faster rate. “Dubai is looking for modernity,” says Mulcahey.
says Gensler’s Jun Xia. “So we planned the project to extend
“But modern to them is more than just a style, it’s also content—
Shanghai’s modernization without losing those connections.”
creating places that can really attract people and support and sustain their lifestyles.”
10
“must-haves” for city building
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Shanghai’s city building experience has been closely followed by other Chinese cities. Xia and his colleagues are designing a new
MGM MIRAGE has a similar goal in mind as it reinvents
lakefront district for Wuxi, for example, and also designing new
Las Vegas for the 21st century. Their 18-million-square-foot
office, hotel, and residential complexes in the mixed-use areas
Project CityCenter, located along the world’s most famous
of Beijing that will complement the governmental and cultural-
boulevard, will create a new cityscape that’s intentionally urban
historic districts of the city.
in its scale, density, and mix of uses and experiences. It’s also
4
sustainable, designed to conserve energy, fresh water, and other “A challenge of city building is to create a framework that is
natural resources—redefining Las Vegas as a global destination
capable of guiding development from the first feasibility study
that’s every bit as healthy as it is entertaining.
through each phase of construction while giving it the flexibility to accommodate future change,” says Gensler’s Ian Mulcahey,
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108 North State Street will give downtown Chicago a much needed anchor and connect it with the vibrant nightlife of the Magnificent Mile and the Near North Side.
DESTINATION
VALUE
BY RON NYREN
As mass media shrinks and homogenizes the world, communities have learned that giving a place a story can put it on the map as a real and memorable destination.
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When people use the word “brand,” they’re
years later when the Rouse Company finally
Greater than its parts
Park, the recently refurbished State Street retail
usually thinking of companies and their products
renovated Faneuil Hall. Built in the 1740s, the
Despite a decade of redevelopment, its downtown
corridor, as well as such Chicago landmarks as the
and services, not about communities. Gensler’s
historic building was once the city’s market hall
core has never fully complemented Chicago’s
Marshall Field’s Department Store, the Daley Civic
Marty Borko, a Los Angeles-based specialist
and meeting place. By recasting it as a “festival
world-class destination status. One reason why
Center, and The Burnham Hotel.
in urban-scale redevelopment, thinks that’s a
marketplace,” Rouse reminded Bostonians of that
is Block 37, a long-vacant site at the heart of the
mistake. “Cities, property-owners, and developers
history. “We could call this place-making,” Borko
Loop. “It’s been somewhat of an Achilles’ heel for
are applying the strategies of branding to
says, “but it would be more accurate to say that this the city,” says Gensler principal Grant Uhlir. That’s
New York as a gateway and trading center,”
neighborhoods and districts,” he notes.
part of Boston got its brand back. You often need a
about to change. Selected by the City of Chicago as
Uhlir notes. “It has a robust urbanity that’s all its
catalyst like Faneuil Hall to make this happen.”
the site’s master developer, The Mills Corporation
own.” The story that 108 North State Street will
chose Gensler to design 108 North State Street, the
convey speaks to the city’s commercial savvy as
“Every place needs a story,” Borko believes.
“Chicago has always gone its own way, rivaling
Without it, even the best redevelopment plans can
Faneuil Hall shows how a key project can help the
project’s 400,000-square-foot centerpiece. “it’s all
well as its prowess as a cultural center. The Mills
languish. He cites the area around Faneuil Hall
district around it coalesce in people’s minds as a
about connecting and responding to what’s around
and Gensler are giving 108 North State Street an
in Boston as an example. The 1961 plan for its
destination. By recasting it as a gathering place for
us,” says Bill Bigelow, The Mills’ Director of
urbane appearance. “The building’s transparent
revitalization, authored by two visionaries,
the entire city that is reconnected with the harbor,
Design. The new building’s neighbors include the
corners and crystal-clear street-level glazing will
Ed Logue and Kevin Lynch, was brilliant in its
it regained a cachet that’s endured even as the
Loop Theater District, downtown universities and
give people walking by a strong sense of the
intent, but it didn’t really take hold until 15
festival marketplace concept has lost favor.
colleges (and their students), the new Millennium
shopping, dining, and entertainment activities
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Gensler’s visioning session for the expansion of Seaport Village pinpointed the incredible “brand value” of San Diego’s waterfront in the minds of that community. 108 North State Street drew on Gensler’s urban street-front design experience—from Burberry’s Fifth Ave. flagship to the retail/hotel-anchored Pacific Place in San Francisco.
Cities across the planet share the need to differentiate themselves as destinations. Branded districts let them tell their stories to the world, one place at a time.
inside,” Uhlir says. “At the same time, they’ll see
A public sector role
one a compelling story, the plan re-branded Fulton
the surrounding urban context reflected in the
Cities often play a key role in the process of
Street as a tourist destination.”
façade. It’s worldly in the best sense.”
building an urban brand. Vancouver’s Granville Island was initially funded by the Canada Mortgage
A brand, not a theme
The power of a brand
and Housing Corporation, which took a moribund
The brand value of an urban district transcends
“Branding tells the community and its tourist
waterfront area and turned it into a vibrant and
any particular theme or cultural reference. That’s
visitors what kind of experience to expect,” says
popular destination that generates $130 million
the basis for its staying power. As Gensler’s Oswald
Kevin Becker, lead development advisor at GMS
a year in economic activity. Like Seaport Village,
observes, “A theme can get old or stale, but a good
Realty in Carlsbad, CA. When it bought a 12-acre
it built its brand on that community’s love affair
story can be told and retold.” He points to
site next to San Diego’s Seaport Village, a 25-year-
with its harbor. San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter got its
San Francisco’s North Beach as an example. Settled
old retail and entertainment venue, GMS asked
start when the city recast a declining area as “the
by Italians, it could easily have become that city’s
Gensler’s Borko and his Los Angeles colleague
historic heart of downtown” and gave grants to
“Little Italy.” Instead, it has drawn liberally on
Jim Oswald to help determine how to raise the
local property-owners to renovate their buildings.
the traditions, lifestyles, and monuments of the
area’s profile as a regional destination. An initial
Now it’s the center of the city’s nightlife, with
different waves of immigrants—including Beatnik
visioning session they convened revealed how
dozens of restaurants, clubs, and theaters and a
poets and artists—who’ve passed through. Each
much people in the community value their
year-round schedule of festivals and events.
has left its mark, contributing to a place that’s
waterfront. “It captures the city’s casual but
)+
always been known for local color, great food, and
energetic lifestyle,” Oswald says. The resulting
New York’s Lower Manhattan Development
adventurous nightlife. “That’s its brand,” Oswald
brand concept for the project emphasizes water
Corporation (LMDC) hired the team of Robert
says. “It has enabled North Beach to reinvent itself
views and reinforces Seaport Village as an ideal
A.M. Stern and Gensler to plan the revitalization
decade-after-decade without losing its essence.”
place to experience the harbor. “A brand-driven
of the Fulton Street corridor that connects the
strategy helps us articulate that our Seaport Village
Hudson’s World Financial Center to the East River’s
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expansion is built on solid principles,” Becker
South Street Seaport. “It’s really seven different
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says. “When people see their own values reflected
neighborhoods,” says Gensler’s Robert Balder, who
in a project, it’s much easier to get them behind it.”
led the planning effort for LMDC. “By giving each
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Adam Flatto is a general partner at The Georgetown Company in New York City.
itself. We’ve seen the return we can get from taking risks and pushing the
He and his partners have developed many large-scale projects, including Easton
envelope. As an example, we reached out to Gensler to design our first
in Columbus, Ohio—a 1,300-acre, 14-million-square-foot mixed-use community
office building at Easton, which set the tone for subsequent development.
anchored by the retail-focused, 1.5-million-square-foot Easton Town Center. They
We also designed our main full-service Hilton hotel so it could be easily
also take on many pro bono ventures. We began by asking him, how do you make
upgraded to, say, a Ritz-Carlton standard.
mixed-use work? How do you measure success?
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THE RIGHT MIX BY KENNETH CALDWELL
Adam Flatto: There is no formula. Successfully integrating different uses
Let’s look at the statistics. Easton is only half complete, but it already has
takes great patience and care, so our starting point is our focus on design
three million square-feet of retail, with $500-per-square-foot average sales
and detail combined with our sense of what consumers are seeking.
in the Town Center, and a million square-feet of hotel and residential
We want the places we develop to feel natural because they’ve grown
development—plus the office buildings and their 40,000 workers. The retail
organically rather than just being some developer’s idea. As a private
activity alone generates 30 million visits a year, which is quite remarkable
company, we can select projects where our focused approach can add real
in Columbus, a city of 1.5 million people. To me, though, the real measure
value, and then dedicate the time necessary to do so. This is equally true for
of success in mixed-use development is its ability to evolve naturally into
our non-profit ventures, such as the International Center of Photography’s
an integral part of the larger city. If the consumer eventually forgets that we
new museum and school in Manhattan.
developed Easton, then we will have truly succeeded.
What is it about mixed-use that pulls people in?
Los Angeles-based Lewis Wolff is involved in mixed-use projects in several ways,
Consumers want places to go where they can have fun—places where people
from prime mover in urban-scale redevelopment to active investor in hotels
are excited, yet comfortable, walking around. New Yorkers experience them
and resorts. Wolff got the attention of Bay Area baseball fans recently with an
every day. When we did the equivalent in Columbus, it was unprecedented.
unusual proposal to build a stadium for the Oakland A’s that would anchor a
For Easton Town Center, we started by asking how we could apply these
branded (and brand new) mixed-use district. We led off by asking him, how do
sensibilities in a city that didn’t really have them. The goal was to create
you find the best mixed-use opportunities?
settings where people say, “This is where I want to hang out!” then choose to do so again and again. We’re also fanatical about adding density, because
Lewis Wolff: Cities themselves, the ones that are friendly to developers,
the mix of uses and the urban feel is what draws customers in and gives
generate the opportunities. It’s not a question of subsidies, but of
our projects their unique value. At Easton, this meant turning an essentially
cooperation. Cities have to be risk-takers—the vision thing is real—but
suburban location into a mixed-use urban center, the highest concentration
they can’t be micromanagers. We’re not constantly looking for projects.
of commercial activity in Columbus outside of its downtown area. We’ve
They don’t have to be big, either, but there has to be a compelling reason
also learned lessons from our non-profit work, such as the revitalization of
for them. In Fresno, for example, we’re partnering with a very community-
Manhattan’s Bryant Park. Easton Town Center is about 10 New York City
minded developer to help a local university build a hotel that will serve its
blocks long, with four different public spaces running through it. It’s these
campus and the area.
spaces that draw people from one place to the next, fostering the interaction that is so critical to defining the pedestrian experience and bringing the
How do sports fit into mixed-use development?
Town Center to life.
If you’re going to spend the money to develop a new stadium, you have to do it so it will have a real impact on the surrounding area. San Diego
How do you keep mixed-use from going stale?
has seen tremendous development around its ballpark. This kind of co-
We do so by making it a living, breathing place. That means it has to change
development maximizes the payoff for whoever is doing the project—the
all the time. Food is a wonderful way to create atmosphere, so Easton
developer, the city, or a partnership of the two. In Oakland, we’re looking
has 30 restaurants, six of which are among the top 10 highest grossing
for a site near or adjacent to the Oakland Coliseum where we can develop
in Columbus. Health and sports also draw people on a 24/7 basis, so we
a new Oakland A’s stadium in tandem with a high-quality outlet center,
included a 10,000-member fitness club, along with 24-hour ice-skating and
condo/rental housing, and a hotel that will be part of the ballpark. Baseball
soccer venues. With over three million square-feet of office space, Easton
is the draw, but the other uses will pay for the new stadium, just as they did
has a fixed base of customers for the Town Center’s shops, restaurants,
in San Diego. They fit very well together.
and hotels. With the commercial uses established, we are now turning to housing, believing that Columbus is ready for a high-density residential
How does design contribute to the bottom line in leisure?
product with upscale amenities.
Even if the project doesn’t need to be an award-winner, quality design helps get it built—secure the entitlements, get the financing, attract good tenants—
What role does design play in mixed-use’s appeal?
and then operate it profitably. Design is critical every step of the way.
The biggest mistake that mixed-use developers have to avoid is to underestimate the consumer. Whether we’re developing hotel, retail, office, or residential uses, people appreciate good design and quality—and are willing to pay for it. The cost difference is marginal—the real investment is the time it takes to get it right. When we do this, it more than pays for
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Airports and airplanes are a fact of life for business and leisure travel. Despite industry turbulence, both are working hard to make that experience a pleasure.
GETTING
THERE
B Y M AT T H E W R I C H A R D S O N
(From left) Palm Springs International Airport; proposed renovation concept for San Francisco International Airport’s Terminal 2; Southwest Airlines’ Terminal at MacArthur Islip Airport, NY.
Every year, London-based Skytrax surveys the
So where’s our swimming pool?
airlines’ financial realities, it’s now incumbent on
Palm Springs’ lightweight cable structure “tents”
leisure, people should feel that their comfort and
Leisure travelers arrive earlier and spend more
world’s air travelers—last year, they queried 5.5
The reason you don’t see these amenities in most
the airports to shoulder the work of accommodating
shelter passengers while letting in the desert
convenience are its highest priorities,” Walsh says.
time and money in the terminal as they wait for
million of them—about their preferences among
airports is that they aren’t catering to international
the traveling masses.”
sun and views of the dramatic mountain range
the myriad airports that serve them (or claim to
long-haul travelers, Kim Day explains. The former
do so). Although most of those surveyed hailed
executive director of Los Angeles World Airports
from Europe and North America, seven of this year’s top 10 airports are in Asia. Singapore’s
their flights, while business travelers are in a hurry
that serves as its backdrop. Yet the airport is all
The line between business and leisure travel is
and often have work to do. JetBlue’s new Gensler-
Airports as businesses
business. As its passenger capacity increased,
blurring. In 2004, 68 percent of business travelers
designed Terminal 5 at New York’s JFK caters
feels that domestic travelers prefer better retail—
With more at stake financially, airports are
Palm Springs required an expanded security
added leisure time to their business trips, up 11
to both kinds of travelers by giving them more
better food, books, and gifts. “More than grand
competing for larger shares of the leisure and
checkpoint and a regional jet facility to maintain
percent from 2003. Although they make up just
and better food and beverage options, expanded
Changi consistently heads the list. Gensler’s recent
architectural statements, they’re into people-
business traveler markets. As with any business,
their signature level of service. “You have to
18 percent of travel volume, business travelers
shopping, larger hold rooms, and a speedier and
renovation of Changi’s 10-year-old Terminal 2
watching and well-lit, great-proportioned space,”
the key to loyalty lies in keeping people happy.
accommodate passengers expeditiously,” says
represent roughly a third ($153 billion a year) of
more convenient check-in, security, and boarding
(with Singapore’s RSP) speaks to their constant
she says. JetBlue’s vice president of development,
With their post-9/11 security upgrades in place,
Richard Walsh, Palm Springs’ director of aviation.
domestic air travel spending. That’s a big incentive
process. “Terminal 5 is designed to make traveling
efforts to stay on top. Changi earned well-deserved
Richard Smyth, agrees. “Passengers fly with us
domestic airports are trying to humanize an
“I don’t want people to wait in the ticketing line,
for airports to make sure they feel welcome and
on JetBlue a seamless experience,” Hooper says.
air traveler praise for an airport experience that
because they like the service, the fare, and the
experience that has evolved into a people-moving
only to go wait in the security line and then in
well served. Convenient flights are an important
“In today’s brand-conscious world, that’s a real
includes exotic flowers, a bamboo garden, a
reception. We provide convenience and pleasure
machine. “Airports are run like businesses
the boarding line.” He would prefer that they spend part of this. As Walsh says, “We let our business
swimming pool, and a free movie theater.
at competitive prices.” Airports, in his view, are
now,” says Ron Steinert, co-director of Gensler’s
that time sampling the airport’s concessions, which
travelers know that they can get anywhere from
there to support that premise.
airport practice. “They make their reputations
is where the real money is made.
Palm Springs.”
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by delivering convenience, speed, and comfort The availability of low fares from carriers like
and attracting the right airlines with the right
Catering to business and leisure
Accommodating them doesn’t change the
JetBlue has helped change people’s expectations of
connections.” That’s the price of entry now, he
Like hotels, airports have to deal with two types
underlying makeup of the new domestic airport
airline service. It’s also prompting a sea change in
adds. What differentiate airports are the attributes
of customers, leisure and business—even in Palm
landscape. “Low-cost carriers have changed
airport management, says Gensler terminal planner
that give them a real sense of place. He points to
Springs. Leisure travelers like airports that wine,
the equation. People use them for business and
Keith Thompson. “For years, airlines were the
the Gensler-designed Palm Springs “Resortport”
dine, and entertain them. Business travelers want
pleasure,” says Bill Hooper, the Washington, DC-
primary purveyor of services to passengers both
as a prime example.
a relaxed, quiet setting with wireless connectivity.
based co-director of Gensler’s airport practice.
“Whether an airport’s emphasis is on business or
“Terminals have to accommodate that reality.”
in the air and on the ground,” he says. “Given the
competitive advantage.”
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Show on the Road THE NOMADIC MUSEUM WORLD TOUR For his “Ashes & Snow” exhibit, photographerfilmmaker Gregory Colbert traveled the world to capture encounters between people and animals as large as whales and elephants. The show made its debut in Manhattan’s Hudson River Park in early 2005, in a demountable “nomadic” museum designed by Shigeru Ban. Soon after, Paul Hawken, the noted environmentalist and author, was appointed to oversee the exhibit’s world tour. He called on Gensler to work with Ban to add new program elements, like a digital cinema and bookstore, and make the museum easier to ship and put up and take down. Hawken also wanted it to be truly sustainable, in keeping with Colbert’s interest in the harmony of man and nature. The 55,000-square-foot museum’s structure consists of 152 cargo containers stacked in a self-supporting checkerboard grid. For the world tour, only the containers that carry a pared-down “kit-of-parts” for the museum will be shipped. The rest will be obtained locally, along with recycled paper tubes, reusable wooden planks, and stone gravel—all of which can be recycled after the show. A Gensler team will accompany the world tour, bringing “Ashes & Snow” to Beijing, Paris, Rome, and other cities. “We’ll travel with it to each new venue,” says Gensler LA’s Irwin Miller, who was able to walk to its
Gregory Colbert’s “Ashes & Snow” show is embarking on a world tour—housed in a traveling museum that’s truly sustainable thanks to Gensler’s partnership with Shigeru Ban.
current stop—the Santa Monica Pier.
The Nomadic Museum near completion in Santa Monica (top left/right); (below from left) designer Shigeru Ban; cutaway model with bookstore; in construction; Colbert “Ashes & Snow” photo; and the completed exhibit space.
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News Central
Hearts & Minds THE CENTER ON HALSTED CHICAGO, IL
COLUMBIA COLLEGE JOURNALISM DEPARTMENT CHICAGO, IL
Cities are people places. What brings them alive is their constant possibility of encounter and interaction. That’s why Center on Halsted is designed to make community happen.
More than just opening a window on the world, the new home of Columbia College Chicago’s journalism department helps its students embrace their city.
Like Columbia College itself, the journalism department is located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the ideal setting to make working journalists of its students. With this as inspiration, Gensler designed a high-energy home for the department that unites faculty, staff, and students formerly split between two campus locations. Journalism’s new quarters occupy
Serving the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
the second floor of a one-time department store, with 12-foot-high windows that are visible
communities, the new Center is the first of its kind in the
from the elevated tracks of the “L” and busy Congress Parkway. The new space serves as an
Midwest. Set to open next year, the LEED Silver-registered
advertisement for the journalism program—its hyperkinetic activities are on eye-catching
building will provide office and meeting space for a range of
display for passing trains, cars, and pedestrians. Designed to support collaboration, the new
organizations and drop-in services for youth and older adults.
facilities make the most of a shared elevator lobby, corridors, and student lounge—the urban
The Center includes gallery space, a gymnasium, theater, and
equivalent of a traditional campus quad—and visually remind the students why they’re there.
a rooftop memorial garden. A Whole Foods Market provides
It’s a great fusion of building, workplace, and graphic design. The project also illustrates
an anchor that helps fund the Center and tie it into the
how cities like Chicago are creatively reviving their downtowns by building on their existing
surrounding neighborhood. At the groundbreaking, Chicago’s
urban fabric to address new community needs.
Mayor Richard Daley praised the Center’s purpose and sustainability—its green roof garden is named in his honor.
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Damage Control
Design Pays
THE BEAU RIVAGE BILOXI, MS
UK WORKPLACE SURVEY GENSLER & THE DESIGN COUNCIL
“In the wake of Hurricane Katrina,” Forbes
The Financial Times got the story first. Senior
reported, “MGM MIRAGE chairman and CEO Terry
and middle managers in finance, law, and
Lanni traveled to the company’s Biloxi, Mississippi
media firms report that well designed work
riverboat casino, the Beau Rivage, to talk one-on-
settings would boost their productivity by
one with devastated employees. His staffers handed
nearly 20 percent. The corollary, as the
out paychecks and salvaged spare uniforms to
Guardian noted, is that companies with
clothe storm victims.” Meanwhile, Mirage Resorts
substandard offices are leaving billions of
president and CEO Robert Baldwin was setting
pounds on the table. The newspapers’ source was These Four Walls,
the stage for rebuilding the heavily damaged,
a survey of 200 UK-based managers commissioned by Gary Wheeler,
$800 million jewel of the Gulf Coast, replacing its
Gensler’s workplace director for Europe, and carried out by Vanson
lobby, casino, and restaurants and repairing its
Bourne, an independent UK research firm.
1,745 guestrooms. To assess the damage, Gensler’s Darrell Fitzgerald and Ed Grun led a team of seven
Besides being a growing reason for managers’ career choices, quality of
colleagues who initially worked in two tiny RVs for
the workplace is a huge factor in job satisfaction and creativity, the survey
several weeks. Since then, the Gensler Biloxi team,
found. Yet nearly 40 percent of those surveyed said their own office works
now 30 strong, has upgraded to two construction
against innovation. “Stale environments foster stale thinking,” Wheeler
trailer offices. “This is a 24/7 project,” Fitzgerald
says. “Knowledge workers need settings that support their creative
says. “Our marching orders are to get those 4,000
process—places to think, places to brainstorm and collaborate.” Anything
employees back to work ASAP.”
less is a false economy, he adds, “because the human and organizational payoffs are so huge.” 7 ikccWho e\ These Four Walls YWd X[ ZemdbeWZ[Z \hec mmm$][dib[h$Yec$
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:;I?=D;H½I DEJ;8EEA THE ARCHITECTURE OF
EXPERIENCE
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Credits Photography
Nothing in architecture has captivated me to the
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extent that participating in the design of the 1984
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Olympics did. The transformation of Los Angeles
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into a two-week international celebration of spirit,
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athleticism, and global unity permanently changed
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the way I think about design. That temporary project, completed over 20 years ago, was a great
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example of experiential design that influences the
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way I work to this day.
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For me, the experience of designing for any
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entertainment event—from a small music venue
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to an Olympiad—may actually outshine the event itself. I’ve always felt that the Eamesian tradition
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of multidisciplinary design under one roof is the
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perfect model for exploring entertainment. It’s no
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coincidence that Charles and Ray Eames ventured
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into film and informational design at the end of
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their amazing careers. Since these projects contain more sophisticated light, sound, visual media,
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and atmospheric design elements than most other
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forms of architecture, they demand unconventional
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teams—not just designers, but also artists, writers,
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and visionaries. There’s nothing quite as exciting as when the chaos of a truly collaborative design charrette leads to an amazing concept.
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Entertainment design is rarely limited to buildings
Hospitality
alone. It’s not about designing from the inside
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out or outside in, but of allowing the “show,”
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an immersive experience, to inform the physical
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design. The success of these projects is measured
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by their cultural relevance and the vibrancy of the
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activities and events they help bring to life.
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We learned in school to think of architecture
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as enduring, but the greatest challenge in
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entertainment design is to create lasting
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experiences in a world of constantly changing
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tastes and sensibilities. The temptation is to opt
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for set design, but this falls way short of what I
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consider to be the real goal of entertainment—to
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captivate the audience at a higher level.
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*.
Gensler Architecture, Design & Planning Worldwide
www.gensler.com
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