Hilton has expanded its Curio Collection with the opening of Sable at Navy Pier in Chicago. Locally based architecture and design firm KOO spearheaded design for the project—its first at Navy Pier. “Creating the design for Sable at Navy Pier was rewarding and challenging at the same time,” says KOO principal Jackie Koo. “It is on one of Chicago’s most recognizable sites and we were asked to handle the combined architectural design and interior design—a rarity in the world of hotel design.”
The design reinforces shimmering Lake Michigan through subtle nautical cues like weathered brass, shipbuilding materials, and smooth curves reminiscent of a ship cabin. Mixed neutrals comprise the color palette, highlighted by a spectrum of blue and blue-green hues further inspired by the hotel’s lakefront location.
The LEED Silver Certified hotel also preserves the century-old Navy Pier structure through unique structural engineering led by James McHugh Construction. Super-thin piles, known as micropiles, thread through the existing pier foundations to support new columns and a structural slab that carries hotel floors. Columns also form an arcade that supports accommodations above the hotel lobby and a newly created retail space.
Each of the 223 guestrooms feature a window seats to promote views of the lake, city skyline, and Sable at Navy Pier’s textured façade.
