Casino Enterprise Management

How Design Changes in Response to Regional Markets

Klaus M. Steinke and Jane S. Lee

There was a time when regional differences in architectural design were fairly easy to identify. No one would confuse ancient Roman architecture with ancient Greek or Chinese architecture, for example, and the differences were reflective not only of the different cultures, but also of the materials available to the builders. Regional differences remained noticeable throughout most of modern history. The differences between classic English, French and Italian design, for example, reflect not only cultural differences but also variations due to different climates. The builders, too, were essentially local people; until fairly recent times designers still worked in their own regions—their own backyards.

Today, however, it is not uncommon for Western architects and contractors to be working all over the world. Much of the recent work in the Middle East and the Far East has been planned and directed by Western firms. Many U.S. firms have been working overseas for years, bringing their expertise—and their American design aesthetic—to high-rise office buildings and hotels the world over.

Gaming has never been an exclusively American phenomenon, but it was here, in places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City, that the large-scale gaming resorts were first introduced. As with office buildings and hotels, U.S. architects are now being asked to design gaming venues in places where they have not existed before—or, at least, have not existed to this scale.

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