TECHNOLOGY
MOOD
MANAGEME
ARCHITECTS ARE USING MODELING SOFTWARE TO OPTIMIZE LIGHTING AND SOUND IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SPACES .
Contributed by ELLIS BOOKER
To create ever more compelling public spaces and guest rooms , hotel designers have relied on computer-aided design and 3-D modeling , automation tools that are an integral part of the profession . More recently , advanced computer modeling programs have been enlisted to help develop memorable ( and programmable ) sound and light experiences for guests .
“ In my opinion , acoustics and light are probably the two most under-rated , under-appreciated conditions in design ,
( with ) acoustics topping my list ,” says Dan Wheeler , principal at Wheeler Kearns Architects , Chicago . He says the ideal hotel room should be a “ sanctuary , an autonomous space separate from the world .” For instance , evening lighting would be generally thought to be warm , local , intimate , potentially dramatic but not “ designed .”
Jordan Mozer , founder and designer at Jordan Mozer & Associates Ltd ., also in Chicago , whose architectural firm has decades of experience in the hospitality space , heartily agrees .
“ For a leisure guest or a business traveler , the hotel is an escape , a place of rest and regeneration ,” he says . Unlike the typically harshly functional environment of an airport , hotels have a different mandate : “ to calm , nurture and delight the audience .”
CHANGING PROFILE Specialized modeling software lets architects represent , and test , how the spaces they design will behave . By accurately representing the qualities of real-world
60 hotelsmag . com November / December 2019