AXIS DESIGN IN THE ENVIRONMENT: HYATT EMBARCADERO’S UNIQUE SEATING “FINS”
August 10, 2015
AXIS Design in the Wild: As the architect of record for the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero hotel renovation project, AXIS Architecture + Design worked with Chicago-based interior designers Looney & Associates on the creation of the hotel’s unique atrium seating “fins.” With the goal of creating a distinctive seating arrangement in keeping with the “out of the box” tech culture of Silicon Valley, Looney & Associates’ fins add function and visual interest to a previously underused open area. AXIS designed the fins to take advantage of (and cover) existing light poles left in place from the hotel’s previous lobby renovation; the radial pattern of the fin derives directly from those existing architectural elements. Within each fin is a task light and speaker used to play ambient music, providing those that sit in the fins a sense of enclosure and privacy while still keeping them connected to the greater space. Seating groups within the atrium were in short supply prior to AXIS’ renovation of the hotel, making the new seating fins a popular addition.