CASE STUDY: COMFORT INN AND COMFORT SUITES

Photo courtesy of Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Custom modular plaster creates upgraded, consistent welcome walls.

Project: Nationwide Program
Location: 2,000 hotels across the United States

A modular decorative plaster panel system has been approved as a welcome wall backdrop as part of the ‘Your First Impression’ brand program for Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites. The Comfort brands, which are franchised by Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world’s largest hotel companies, are currently undergoing a multi-year, multi-faceted brand refresh program. Currently, there are nearly 2,000 Comfort branded hotels across the United States.

The ‘Your First Impression’ brand program is an important component of the brand improvement strategy as it takes the hotel guest’s first impression to a new level. This includes a new signature front desk experience that includes the custom manufactured plaster panels, soft integrated lighting, a raised brand logo and welcoming candle lighting to complete the effect. “When guests walk into a hotel – whether it’s for the first time or the five-hundredth – their first impression sets the tone for the entire stay,” said Mike Varner, Head of Domestic Brand Management for Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites. “We want guests at franchised Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites hotels to immediately experience a warm and inviting welcome not only from the associate who greets them but from their surroundings as well.”

The panel manufacturer, working closely with the design team at Choice Hotels International, used a sophisticated online Client Relationship Management (CRM) tool to manage the large scale project. Each hotel uploaded to the CRM an image of their reception wall along with basic dimensions. This information was used to make a recommendation on the most suitable color, size and format (landscape or portrait) for their Welcome Wall panel. Once the various color and size options were agreed and signed off, both the hotel owners and Choice Hotels International were able to track the progress of their specific panel through the entire process of order, manufacture, payment and delivery.

CASE STUDY: OFFICE TOWER RENOVATION

Photos by Chuck Choi

Modular wall panels provide stunning upgrade

Project: Art Deco tower renovation
Location: 50 Post Office Square, Boston
Architect: Elkus Manfredi Architects

Modular plaster wall panels have been specified within the stunning refurbishment of an original Art Deco tower in Boston’s financial district by Elkus Manfredi Architects of Boston. For decades, the tower at 185 Franklin Street was the headquarters of one company, New England Telephone and Telegraph Co. or its successor, Verizon Communications Inc. With their departure in 2010, new owners Commonwealth Ventures undertook a dramatic renovation that added a large glass lobby, outdoor seating and space for restaurants and stores overlooking the park in Post Office Square. The building is now renamed ‘50 Post Office Square’ and occupied by Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., the oldest privately held financial institution in the U.S.

The most significant changes occurred on the ground floor, where many of the building’s original features included high ceilings and Maine granite lining many hallways. The ground-floor lobby, designed by Elkus Manfredi, achieves its dramatic interior look from the new large-scale plaster modular wall panels. The space required 170 panels which were manufactured off site, shipped to the building, and readily installed using local labor. The custom panels, most with unique dimensions, completely line the walls and create a truly stunning interior design effect. The high gloss Venetian plaster finish was hand-applied to 3/4-inch MDF panels (all class 1 flame retardant) and then simply hung on site using metal ‘Z’ clips secured to the walls.

CASE STUDY: TOP GEAR FOR JAGUAR LAND ROVER

Design and photos by Imagination

Jaguar Land Rover ‘In Residence’ global exhibition stand program

Project: Global Exhibition
Location: Worldwide

A modular decorative plaster panel system has been specified for use on the new Jaguar Land Rover ‘In Residence’ global exhibition stand program. Launched at the Geneva auto show, ‘The Residence’ stand design reflects the core principals of these iconic British brands through a high tech digital display. Jaguar Land Rover’s use of technology has resulted in a cutting-edge stand design with a focus on ease of construction and the use of lightweight materials. Eventually there will be five tradeshow ‘kits’ stationed in different parts of the world, the stand being seen in Beijing, Paris, Los Angeles, and New York.

Designed by a global creative business firm—Imagination—the Jaguar Land Rover stand includes over 100 custom plaster panels in a concrete colored polished plaster finish. The prefinished panels offer a rapid installation with ease of handling, and also ensure the panels are quickly demounted at the end of the event. The panels are ideal for exhibitions or projects under tight deadlines for completion. Panels can be highly customized to suit the client, sent directly to site and installed in just a few hours.

CASE STUDY: TIMBER LOOKING PLANKS USED IN TEXAS OFFICE

Photos courtesy of ArmourFX, a division of Armourcoat Surface Finishes, Inc.

An original feature created from plaster panels

Project: Home Away, Inc.
Location: Austin, Texas
Architect: lauckgroup

Plaster pre-cast timber effect planks have created an original feature wall within the new Austin office expansion for HomeAway Inc. —the leading online marketplace for the vacation rental industry. Specified by Texan interior architecture firm lauckgroup, the panels emulate natural wooden planks with an exposed grain detail, making them ideal for an urban shuttered or board-formed concrete effect.

The timber-effect panels are designed as decorative wall cladding and are ideal for interior theming and branding. The plank design was created from actual Douglas Fir timber planks. Cast in a polymer-modified gypsum resin mix, the panels were selected from the manufacturer’s base colors in both smooth and textured finishes. Commenting on the project Raul Baeza, Designer at lauckgroup, said: “We had used the product previously on a smaller scale and loved the textural dimension it added. When we began design on HomeAway Domain, the client requested a memorable and monumental stair. Immediately, we knew we wanted to use the timber-effect plaster planking as the feature backdrop to the stair and reception area. The product was on point with the desired price and created the perfect monolithic aesthetic we were looking for while having visual interest with the wood grain imprint.” The panels offer great design options, often replacing exotic or expensive timber in commercial projects.