Hospitality Design - July 2011 - 112

David and Paul Lewis
LTL Architects, New York
Whether designing large-scale projects for universities or tiny coffee shops for the students who frequent them, twin brothers David and Paul Lewis seek work that enters the public realm. “The possibility for large groups of people to see it means there’s real impact,” says Paul. “That concept shapes the way we make decisions in all of the projects we get involved in.” The brothers’ academic approach toward examining the built environment is one they share with Marc Tsurumaki, the third partner in their New York-based ﬁrm LTL Architects. The three principals began collaborating while still in graduate school at Princeton University in the mid-1990s, then formed LTL in 1997. Their work has been showcased in forums such as the Storefront for Architecture, the Venice Biennale, and the Museum of Modern Art. And their intellectual exploration is seen in everything they do, right down to the custom ﬁnishes (from door handles to curtains) that they create. Using common materials like Cor-Ten, cardboard, industrial felt, and bamboo to achieve uncommon effects is a specialty of the ﬁrm, says David. “Producing something seductive with an inexpensive material is much more interesting than doing so with, say, mahogany.” Although the brothers don’t “play up their twin-ness,” as David puts it, they acknowledge that it’s a point of novelty to clients. Beyond that, though, the duo is most concerned that clients recognize that the practice in fact contains three principals. In-house, that’s easy enough since not only do the twins agree on just about everything, so does Tsurumaki. “There’s a lot more commonality than differences between us,” says David, “and we’ve structured the ofﬁce so that we all play into the design of each project, even if one takes the lead.” Hospitality projects ﬁt nicely into their philosophical interest in melding the private with the public. “They’re places where people can go to have a personal experience while simultaneously being in a very open place that is not their house,” says David. That interest is being further teased by their latest effort, the Fold Home. Conceived by Turkey-based developer NEF, the project (located outside of Istanbul) features residential units with a complete array of shared amenities. These include the expected (ﬁtness room, business center) as well as the outre (karaoke bar, trampoline room). The idea, says Paul, is to create spaces where residents “can reserve extra space for their own private use and extend the virtual space of their apartment. We’re intrigued by the sense of public declaration, which [here] is an important part of what is primarily a residential project.” hd

From left: Paul and David Lewis. Above: The Buffet at Aria at CityCenter in Las Vegas. (Photo by Rick Fowler.)

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - July 2011
