NEWH - August 2003 - (Page 48)

the juggling act – the “ooh & aah” vs. value engineering… by: Colette J. Anderson, Anderson Plus Associates, Inc. The Ashford Club, a city club, first opened in 1984 at the Terraces of Perimeter in Atlanta, Georgia. It was designed in the style of old clubs in London- very traditional, dark and Edwardian. Colette Anderson of Anderson Plus Associates, Inc. first worked on the original project as Owner’s Rep and then did the remodel in 1994. City Clubs have been on the decline throughout the 90’s as lifestyles and the tax structure on business entertainment have changed, and this club was too large at 18,000 SF. When the lease was up, it was time to move and to downsize to a more operationally profitable size. The new club location, at Glenridge Highlands in Atlanta, was a big draw for Cingular Wireless’ management. As they moved into their new headquarters, the new Ashford Club opened in June 2001 to much accolade. Anderson’s responsibilities on the Ashford Club this third time, after working for the owner over 18 years included Project Management, Programming, Space Planning including Kitchen Planning, Interior Architecture, Lighting Design, and Interior Design. The Design Strategy for the Club’s new location was to keep some of the elements of the old site for history and create a new “corporate America” look. It was to be transitional in design, conducive to the tastes of the original older membership and appealing to the hi-tech industry’s new younger members...and on an extremely tight budget demanding re-use of existing items where possible without jeopardizing the design intent. To pay homage to the “something old theme” Anderson moved the dark oak columns from the old Ashford location, stripped them of their Corinthian capitals and had them refinished in a warm cherry finish. For the “something new theme” she convinced her very conservative client to allow her to use cork flooring, in lieu of wood parquet, in the Foyer leading to the building’s marble elevator lobby. By doing a parquet pattern with the cork flooring tiles and adding a classic compass design in the center with an illuminated ceiling dome above, Anderson created the first of two “ooh & aah” spaces she wanted for the Club. 48 Anderson insists with clients on tight budgets that there must still be at least one or two spaces that have the “ooh & aah” factor, something memorable, worth talking about, and for a club member, worth showing off to business associates and friends. The second “ooh & aah” space at the Club is the Formal Dining/Wine Room with wine storage behind French doors, a fabulous vaulted ceiling, and Thomas Arvid wine art pieces. The faux finish design concept for the vaulted ceiling and the Foyer’s dome was created by Anderson to have the native leaves of Georgia ghosted onto the ceiling using gold, silver and copper leaf to highlight them. The faux finish artists, Graphicatta & Design were busy collecting leaves around Atlanta to use as stencils for their work. After the money is allocated for the “ooh& aah,” it is back to reality, massaging/squeaking out every nickel of savings from one item or another, also known in fancy terms as “value engineering,” the industry euphemism! To that end, Anderson relies on her years of on-the-job-training and experience in the “interior/architectural design trenches” to balance the client wish list and budget with reality and still have some extraordinary design elements if needed. Quite often in the process of value engineering, you have to study the value of costly elements not as a designer obsessed with design details, but rather look at the details and play devil’s advocate; Would the member or guest even notice it, or miss it, if it was not there?

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - August 2003

NEWH - August 2003
Contents
Letter From the Editor
Hospitality News
On the Road Again
Calling All Entries
Tips on Specs
The Creation of the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort
Signature Golf Resorts
Designing a Golf Clubhouse
International Purchasing
Creating a Vision for Clubhouse Renovations
Signage for Today’s Golf Resort
The History of Nightclubs
To See and Be Seen
Appealing to the Senses
Marysol–Real and Magical in the Windy City
The Juggling Act—The “Ooh and Aah” vs. Value Engineering
Cork—Not Just for Wine Bottles Anymore
Lessons Not Learned: Life Safety Issues From the Cocoanut
Small Business Advice...
Things to Consider When Building, Renovating or Expanding
Industry Partner Education
Sources and Credits
Bios

NEWH - August 2003