Boutique Design - September 2014 - 4

BORN-AGAIN BUILDINGS
ADAPTIVE REUSE (AR) projects are all the

rage these days. Over the past several months,
I've received a seemingly endless stream of
announcements about existing commercial
properties being turned into hotels and other
hospitality venues.
While office buildings may be the prime
targets for AR, other types of structures
are also being given new leases on life. For
example, this past summer, a century-old
former federal courthouse in Tampa, Fla.,
re-entered the local scene as a 130-key
Le Méridien hotel.
In renovating that property, many of
its existing architectural elements were
preserved and updated, including the marble
and terrazzo lobby, as well as the oak door
frames and window casings throughout the
building. "Our design approach for Le Méridien Tampa-juxtaposing the old with the
new in a nod to our mid-century roots-lends
itself well to adaptive reuse projects such as
this one," said Brian Povinelli, global brand
leader for Le Méridien and Westin Hotels at
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
Another interesting AR project is Aparium
Hotel Group's plans to redevelop the historic
Detroit Fire Department headquarters into
The Foundation Hotel, an independent,
100-key upscale property that's slated to open
late next year. The redesign of the hotel's
ground floor will include the creation of a
restaurant in its former fire engine hall, as well
as retail space showcasing Detroit- and Michigan-based firms. "The Foundation Hotel will
be an inspiring and transcendent place-a

true reflection of what is happening in Detroit,
a city rich in history, art, architecture and
culture," said Mario Tricoci, Aparium's ceo/
managing partner.
To unearth the economic and demographic factors that are driving the AR trend,
as well as to delve into the special challenges
such conversions present to designers, I interviewed a trio of experts who are doing some
noteworthy work in this sector. They are:
* Jim Stapleton of FRCH Design Worldwide,
which recently served as design architect
for the conversion of a former bank
building in downtown Cincinnati into a
Renaissance Hotel.
* Michelle Bové of GrizForm Design Architects, whose AR projects in and around
Washington, D.C., include the Agua ,
Doi Moi and Iron Gate restaurants.
* John C. (Jack) Portman III of John Portman
& Associates, which is creating a Hotel
Indigo in the lower floors of an Atlanta office
building that the Portman firm originally
designed a half-century ago. (Talk about
bringing things full circle!)
Their insights into the AR phenomenon
are detailed in the "Urban Renewal" feature
that starts on page 28. Read it and reap.

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