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Bentel & Bentel Architects/Planners
Client
Microsoft
Location
Vienna, Austria
Updating public spaces in one of New York's busiest hotels is no small task, but is one that Bentel & Bentel Architects/Planners handled with finesse-in both delivery and design-to deliver a striking and sophisticated space. The Grand Hyatt New York, next door to the city's historic Grand Central Terminal, needed a new design for its tri-level lobby incorporating registration and concierge areas, a 24-hour market, a three-meal restaurant, and a suite of meeting rooms. A two-year plan was carried out to transform the hotel into a functional and inviting urban public space, while allowing the hotel to keep its doors open during the renovation.
In order to maintain hotel operations, the architects largely worked with the existing materials in the lobby. "Our mantra became 'transformation rather than replacement,'" says Peter Bentel, lead designer on the project. The design team spent time researching patination methods to produce a cooler, darker finish on the existing large bronze columns, and new finishes were chosen to either blend in with the dark metal finish or act as a counterpoint. "Blues, browns, and grays of the carpet and furniture reinforce the dark tones," he explains. "The lighter tans, off-whites, and white metals-such as polished stainless steel-provide contrast and give focus to areas such as the registration desk."
The designers rethought the...