Shifting gears mid-stream in a major project is not only gutsy, but also takes vision. Rather than waiting for an economic up-tick and for businesses to absorb vacant office space in downtown Phoenix, National Real Estate Advisors LLC took action. National, on behalf of the property owner, National Electrical Benefit Fund, collaborated with Westin Hotels & Resorts to build a luxury hotel smack in the middle of an existing 26-story downtown Phoenix high rise. What was originally intended as premium office space is now home to a contemporary hotel that offers business travelers an intimate alternative to Phoenix’s larger convention hotels.
The Westin Phoenix Downtown is located on floors 11 through 18 of the 26-story high rise. The parking garage takes up floors 2 through 10, and Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., an international mining company, occupies the upper floors.
The Westin celebrated its grand opening on March 10, 2011. The urban property has 242 oversized guest rooms and suites that average an impressive 550 square feet. What’s more, every guest room has a dramatic floor-to-ceiling window, providing spectacular views of the city, desert and mountains. Hotel amenities include a second-story outdoor pool deck, a fully equipped WestinWORKOUT® area, a Westin Executive Club lounge, a 3,000-square-foot ballroom, two pre-function areas and public space. The hotel features a Province restaurant, led by renowned Chef Randy Zweiban.
Design
The design team included architect SmithGroup and interior design firm, along with Westin’s in-house designers. The scope of the project entailed major revisions to the tower’s interior as well as a new two-story low rise. The low rise attaches to the tower and houses an outdoor courtyard, pool, valet entrance and Gensler back-of-house facilities. While the low rise takes architectural cues from the original tower, it is designed for the scale and function of the Westin.
According to Brad Lang, project architect for SmithGroup, the objective was to develop a separate identity for the Westin and distinguish it from the building’s other occupant, Freeport-McMoRan. To achieve this, the hotel’s entrance is around the corner and out of sight of Freeport’s entrance. SmithGroup worked with the city of Phoenix to share an underutilized city bus bay to serve as the hotel’s valet entrance.
The next challenge was to plan an outdoor courtyard on a major city street. The Westin sought guest privacy and intimacy, while the city of Phoenix wanted a more open neighborhood atmosphere. The solution: design a translucent green-lit glass wall with metal architectural elements to surround the courtyard. The combination engages people passing by, yet offers security and a sense of privacy to hotel guests.
In addition to outdoor dining, the courtyard serves as the main access to the second story pool. A dramatic glass-lined staircase leads to the zero-edge pool that cantilevers out over the courtyard. In the evening, the water glows blue, contrasting with the green-lit glass enclosure. The second story pool and deck provide a cozy setting for guests and private parties.
Transforming an existing office high rise into a luxury hotel involves some constraints, but it also has perks. The glass tower provides each guest room with an expansive floor-to-ceiling window. Because the original space was designed for high-end offices, guest rooms are considerably more spacious than usual. In fact, corner rooms are 50 percent larger than average hotel accommodations.
Unlike typical windowless banquet and meeting rooms, the Westin’s meeting space offers spectacular views of the metro Phoenix area. Floors 11 and 12 of the hotel are dedicated as public space for functions such as meetings and banquets.
The design team utilized neutral colors, dark wood and stone to create a warm modern look and feel throughout the hotel. The exception is Province restaurant. It retains the lively hot pink and white color palette of its sister restaurant in Chicago.
Construction
While design was still in progress, Perini Building Co. was brought on board to construct the hotel in seven months. Built on a true fast-track schedule, where construction begins before the design is complete, cooperation was key to the success of the project.
According to Mike Nunn, project executive for Perini Building Co., “Although a seven-month schedule seems aggressive, we entered this project with a number of advantages. A plus was our professional relationship with the Westin. Perini recently worked with the organization on the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel. The familiarity between the two companies streamlined the process from day one.”
The close proximity of all the decisionmakers enhanced timely decisions, a critical factor on any project with an aggressive timeframe. The owner’s building representative, LandPlan Co., was on site throughout the duration of construction, the architect was located down the street from the project, and Perini was able to employ many of the state’s best union subcontractors.
Intense planning further expedited the building process. Perini’s preconstruction department collaborated closely with National, Westin, the design team, subcontractors and the city of Phoenix. Before crews hammered a single nail, actual room mock-ups were built to serve as 3-D models. When construction started, everyone knew exactly what to expect. To avoid delivery downtime, construction materials were ordered and stocked according to floors.
“The beauty of building in an existing high rise is the amount of repetition in the structure,” Nunn said. “Construction crews can become very efficient in this type of environment. We completed the project with limited overtime and weekends.”
“Once construction began, the most difficult part of the project was to avoid disrupting Freeport-McMoRan, who remained in the building throughout construction,” he added.
In addition to ensuring Freeport-McMoRan could conduct business as usual, Perini was responsible for employee safety and coordinating construction activities around employee access to the parking garage.
Parking is the only thing Freeport-McMoRan and the Westin share. The two entities have separate entrances, lobbies and elevator banks. Guests visiting either establishment never have to interact with one another.
“This was a great job,” concluded Nunn. “We completed construction on time and on budget. The ingenuity to build a trendy urban hotel to jump-start the property has been something Perini has enjoyed being involved with. The final product is quite stunning and adds to the city’s vibrant downtown.”
Dick Rizzo is the Vice Chairman of Perini Building Co., where he is responsible for new business development and company growth with particular emphasis on developing national clients. Rizzo joined Perini in 1977 and was instrumental in steering the company into the hospitality and gaming industry.
Comments
Post new comment