BUILDING EXCITEMENT
MISSISSIPPI LIGHTS
L ’ AUBERGE CASINO & HOTEL
Baton Rouge , Louisiana
PINNACLE ENTERTAINMENT ’ S L ’ Auberge Casino & Hotel in Baton Rouge , Louisiana carries a design that reflects its surroundings . Located on the Mississippi River waterfront , the 205-room hotel and 74,000-square-foot casino presents a contemporary interpretation of a Louisiana fishing lodge .
Lighting was essential to the creation of this atmosphere . For this job , Pinnacle chose Michigan-based Illuminating Concepts ( IC ), an architectural and themed lighting designer known for the creation of what it calls “ immersion experiences ” through lighting .
For L ’ Auberge , IC created a sustainable and creative lighting design as well as stateof-the-art audio and video solutions , beginning with a grandiose promenade which is indirectly illuminated to give “ a real-life connection to the outdoor environment ,” according to one of the firm ’ s designers .
The exterior architectural elements of the building are highlighted individually to create a layered lighting effect instead of the traditional flat flood lighting typically used for casinos . For the interior , innovative solutions for lighting and audio / video integration enhance both the comfort and aesthetic appeal of the visitor experience on the gaming floor .
IC ’ s focus was on providing quality lighting and AV solutions that supported the environment without distraction . Foremost on Pinnacle ’ s auditory wish list was a clean , intelligible audio playback system on the casino floor .
This direction was distilled into a set of design criteria : high uniformity of both frequency and volume coverage , excellent vocal reproduction , and enough system headroom to provide sufficient volume above the high level of ambient noise . IC then developed virtual room models and speaker layouts , which when combined with audiometric speaker data and acoustic modeling software confirmed speaker placement and amplification requirements .
One major design element of the casino floor was a coffered ceiling that followed the long table game pit through the center of the gaming floor . Groupings of large decorative lighting pendants suspended beneath the copper-clad ceiling provided a distinctive visual identity to the space . Indirect illumination of the copper finish provided warmth and visual brightness while preventing direct glare on the adjacent video displays .
The provision of a dropped ceiling structure mitigated the typical integration issues related to table game lighting and maintained the clean ceiling lines .
The circular layout of the high-limit gaming lounge posed several interesting challenges for AV and lighting . Limited space on the concave perimeter walls and the owner ’ s aversion to pedestal-mounted displays led IC to propose an integrated media chandelier , which would serve as both a decorative focal point and an elegant mounting location for four ultra-thin 46- inch LCD displays . Working closely with the architect , interior designer , structural engineer and custom chandelier fabricator , IC developed a unique solution that seamlessly married a large-scale beaded chandelier , integrated LED lighting , media player storage , and custom display mounts , providing the perfect visual centerpiece for the elegant VIP gaming room .
— FRANK LEGATO
OWNER : Pinnacle Entertainment ARCHITECT : Manning Architects DESIGN ARCHITECT : Marnell Companies LIGHTING DESIGN : Illuminating Concepts TOTAL INVESTMENT : $ 368 million
10 CASINO DESIGN 2013