Gensler has completed work on its $13 million makeover on the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown. The global architecture and design firm upgraded the hotel with a series of sustainable touches, including replacing the asphalt on the adjacent Adams and First Streets as well as Central Avenue with brick pavers and greenery.
To complement the structure’s emblematic window pattern, the hotel’s base is now wrapped in new aluminum fins, continuing the theme of shadow and light with eye-catching patterns. A large, color-changing LED glass feature acts as a beacon for the property across downtown Phoenix. A new lobby and porte-cochère are inspired by the fabled Phoenix bird. A palette of warm, natural materials pay homage to the textural experiences of the Sonoran Desert.
Scottsdale, Arizona-based Loewen Design Group spearheaded the interior design, which also saw the installation of new planked floor tiles etched in modern wood grain patterns. A new feature wall boasts a sawn, white oak Lugano finish in a chevron pattern that recalls the skeleton of a saguaro cactus. Lizard-like hides crafted from pearlescent resin adorn a curved entry wall, while a 3D metal and iron recreation of the city skyline is depicted behind the new front desk. The art-centric interior showcases an array of artwork from custom light sculptures to handpicked murals.
At the heart of the lobby, the modern, urban saloon Dust Cutter reflects Phoenix’s western roots. The restaurant and bar, which is designed with an open floor plan and central bar, is clad with three oversized garage doors that open to Adams Street. A 25-foot-long bed of local river rock and large custom iron logs re-create an indoor-outdoor campfire experience, while a bespoke 15-foot-long communal table cut from a live edge redwood tree is accented with bar stools and iron foot rails. Railroad beams are suspended from a frayed rope that display a pair of spurs from the 1960s.
