DHA Designs

In 2001, dha designs were approached to design the lighting concept for the new Meridien Art + Tech scheme. This was to be le Meridien's departure from traditional hotel room and corridor design, with each hotel having commissioned artworks relevant to its setting, and each room supplied with 42" plasma screens. Having successfully designed Art + Tech refurbished rooms and public spaces at the Russell, Cumberland and Grosvenor House Hotels, dha designs were excited at the chance to design le Meridien Wien, the first complete Art + Tech hotel.

The concept of marrying gallery and hotel design styles was entrusted to experienced exhibition designers, Real Studios. The bedroom concept again showcased artwork: edge-lit etched glass headboards were designed on a hotel-by-hotel basis and local Viennese artists supplied the patterns. Likewise, objects were internally illuminated in desk-top showcases using Crescent miniature T2 battens, and the wardrobe rails were internally lit to minimise visible light fittings, using Agabekov customised rails. An RZB coloured fluorescent decorative batten was used within wall mounted mirror units to complement the colour-ways. These colours matched the corridor lighting concept of back-illuminated numbers and wall-mounted fluorescent boxes, with different colours used to suit the room schemes. The fitting, which could take coloured gel, room numbering or directional signage, had already been developed by dha designs with Light Engine for use in London and Hamburg.

Since locally-commissioned artwork was to be showcased in the hotel, it was decided early on that the lighting could incorporate this. Rather than just wall-washing paintings, as many hotels require, the artists were briefed to create images that would suit gobo projection (using Derksen projectors), or three-dimensional pieces that could incorporate light-boxes. It presented a challenge to dha designs to create a lighting system that was as flexible as a gallery space (so that artwork could be changed) but as discreet as hotel lighting needs to be. Thus (Crescent) fibre optic systems were specified, and most walls lit using recessed adjustable Erco fittings, so that the operator had enough flexibility. In keeping with this artistic theme, the decorative fittings specified by dha designs, had to have enough presence to compete. The lobby lounge area, seen through the front windows, needed to introduce the artistic theme to passers-by and a Salih Mekhici pendant was chosen resembling a huge tangled-wire birds' nest with miniature capsule lamps. The bar, with its retro finishes, was lit by Ingo Maurer's hologram Wo Bist Du Edison ..? (Where Are You Edison ..?) pendants. The 8-storey spiral staircase had a custom designed edge-lit fibre optic feature light running its full height.

Where possible, traditional Viennese culture was given a fresh twist: the coffee shop, one of Vienna's most endearing associations, was contemporised by using the traditional chandelier as details on a frieze rather than hanging in the space. This was complemented by Rody Grauman's stunning chandelier of 75 pygmy lamps bunched together.

Having used artwork with decorative lighting elsewhere, it was decided to marry these effects in the bar and restaurant. Between these areas, two U-shaped light-box booths were designed: bar-seating was inside the "U", and from the other side they provided a dramatic backdrop for the restaurant entrance. They were in excess of 4m high and 3m wide, with a skylight at the top, and the glass envelope was lit by three colours of cold cathode with full mixing capabilities via the ERCO control system. The breakfast setting used a fresh mint green; the lunch time setting a light blue, which faded towards a darker blue as the afternoon progressed. The evening setting, when the bar came alive, used a very slow sequencing of pink, purple and red which matched the sexy atmosphere created by the concealed bar fascia and back bar lighting, and the hologrammatic pendants. Because the skylight in-filled daylight to guests sitting within these booths during the day, greens and blues could still be used successfully.

The bar was situated opposite the gallery, accessed by revolving doors, with a long view in to the restaurant, and to emphasise this, a colour-changing recessed LED floor strip, by LB Lighting, was used to lead the eye towards the lightboxes. Programmed together, the colour matched the lightboxes and unified the bar and gallery areas. This area was neighboured by the Forum conference area, whose features included lightboxes above the meeting room doors with Privalite panels adjoining them (set to be clear when unoccupied and frosted when in use).

The ballroom, located in the basement level had an unusually low ceiling, and slots were created to house lighting and other services to keep the ceiling as clean as possible. A combination of iGuzzini halogen downlights, with narrow apertures but high output, were used to fit into these slots, with the sliding wall panels (to conceal/reveal artwork and screens) all lit with Erco wallwashers to assist the illusion of space. The pre-function areas picked up on the coloured fluorescent used in bedroom corridors, this time with Belux suspended fluorescent tubes (and Encapsulite colour sleeves) which were located at different heights to mimic an art installation.

The combination of theatrical and gallery lighting and design distinguishes Le Meridien Wien from the more traditional competition in Vienna. With le Meridien planning 3000 Art + tech rooms worldwide, this hotel has helped to build le Meridien's reputation for innovation design.

technical information
Lighting specified: Lucent (downlights), ERCO (downlights & control), Louis Poulsen (uplights), Crescent (fibre optics), LB Lighting (LED), Oldham (cold cathode), Delta Light (wall lights, spotlights), ARC Lighting (lightboxes), iGuzzini (downlights), Belux (decorative fluorescent), RZB (decorative fluorescent)

www.dhadesigns.com