• Emerald Queen Casino , Tacoma , Washington •
The Emerald Queen Casino balances the eye-catching flash of a Las Vegasstyle resort with memorable references to Puyallup tribal culture . The new facility relocated the tribe ’ s gaming operations to a highly visible urban site along Interstate 5 near downtown Tacoma , Washington . The fullservice 310,000-square-foot gaming facility includes 100,000 square feet of slots and table games , five food and beverage venues , two parking garages with direct access to the gaming floor , and a 21,000-square-foot , 2,000-seat event center .
The lobby provides guests with an impressive entry and features with expansive ceilings , elegant lighting elements , culturally informed design finished with sleek materials .
The project utilizes an innovative and unprecedented solution to fitting a large gaming facility gracefully into the urban fabric . Due to site and infrastructure constraints , the gaming floor and amenities are strategically placed four levels above the ground floor , spanning over city streets and supported structurally by two parking garages .
Emerald Queen Casino reclaims lost space above the restrictive city grid , effectively modifying the footprint of traditional gaming . It breaks the rules of traditional gaming design and paves the way to a new future for urban tribal gaming facilities .
The casino also positions itself as one of the major players in the gaming industry by incorporating daylight wherever possible to maintain guests ’ connection to the natural world — even on the gaming floor .
Smoky Mountain Majesty
• The Shops at Harrah ’ s Cherokee , North Carolina •
Experientia Development Partners are in the pre-construction phase of a
$ 110 million , 233,000-square-foot retail , dining and entertainment promenade at Harrah ’ s Cherokee Casino Resort , nestled among the majestic Smoky Mountains near Asheville , North Carolina .
The Shops at Harrah ’ s Cherokee sit at the main entrance of the resort and are adjacent to its new 720-room hotel and convention center , featuring 100,000 square feet of meeting space .
The Shops at Harrah ’ s Cherokee will offer a diverse mix of retail , dining and entertainment experiences to draw guests from as far as three hours away . Experientia Development Partners will leverage the resort ’ s embedded foot traffic and local tourism visitation to create a super-regional draw , including retail , dining and entertainment options that can ’ t be found elsewhere in the Southeast . Exceptional customer service , convenience and a blend of regional and national tenants will combine to make this one of the area ’ s most exciting retail destinations , drawing traffic from the upscale Atlanta market as well as Charlotte , Asheville , Bristol and Knoxville .
Harrah ’ s Cherokee Casino Resort is situated at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and Blueridge Parkway , the busiest national park in the country with more than 11 million visitors annually .
These approaches create a breathtaking building , highly visible from the highway , with panoramic views of downtown Tacoma and the culturally significant Mount Rainier and Puget Sound .
The design team collaborated with Puyallup cultural leaders to develop an interior design concept that honors and tells the story of this relationship between culture and tribal land base . Interior elements subtly weave in and draw influence from the textures , shapes and colors of the mountain , river , forests and sound that define Puyallup tribal land .
“ We reference tribal history from Mount Rainier down to the Puyallup River to Puget Sound ,” Cuningham Group Principal Brett Ewing said . “ That was our baseline , the thread we followed through the building , using very subliminal colors and textures . We use colors and textures and linework in a way that subtly emulates a river and reflects it in a tasteful , subliminal way .”
Traditional and contemporary Puyallup art , patterns and language are also incorporated into the design . From the bold black and red exterior to the organic textures that give life to the interior , a powerful , modern and resilient Puyallup culture is expressed . — Edward Healy
OWNER : Puyallup Tribe DESIGNER / ARCHITECT : Cuningham Group Architecture , Inc . INVESTMENT : $ 60 million-plus
In addition to the local draw , Harrah ’ s Cherokee is tied to the Caesars Rewards marketing and reservation system , and is one of the most respected names in the gaming industry . — Edward Healy
OWNER AND DEVELOPER : Experientia Development Partners North Carolina , LLC OWNER : Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians ARCHITECT : Smallwood , Reynolds , Stewart , Stewart & Associates , Inc . ( SRSS ) OWNER ’ S REPRESENTATION : Gilbane Building Company PRECONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR : AnderCorp INVESTMENT : $ 110 million
2019 CASINO STYLE 7