MCLA has earned an “Outstanding Achievement – Whole Building” International Lighting Design Award for its work at W Fort Lauderdale. The designers’ challenge was to make the hotel immediately distinctive from other destination resorts. Corrosive marine air and hurricane potential were added elements influencing the design. Overriding these issues was a sea turtle nesting habitat on the adjacent beach, imposing its own tough criteria through a local ordinance that forbids light to be visible from the nesting habitat.
Custom LED ring fixtures hang beneath the 40-foot-high porte-cochere, along with recessed in-ground fixtures embedded as lane dividers, create a dramatic arrival space for hotel guests. Inside, the unobtrusive lighting emphasizes the lobby’s water feature, and a ceiling hung with blue LED lamps mounted in gently moving brass tubes adds warmth and sparkle to the bar area. “The lighting design was intended to enhance the relaxing beach environment and provide guests with a few unique, playful moments, both indoors and out,” says Scot Guenther, senior designer at MCLA.
