066 PROJECT / HOTEL FELIX, CHICAGO, USA
CAT THAT GOT
THE CREAM
While Chicago is internationally recognised hospitality. historic façade, the interior lighting was
as one of the United States’ leading tourist Hotel Felix is a redevelopment of the his- where we had to formulate a solid design
destinations, what is not as well known is toric Hotel Wacker, built in 1926 by Chicago strategy and fight the battle for energy
the city’s initiative to be one of the nation’s architecture firm Levy and Klein. Redevel- efficiency. In hospitality settings, visitors
leading ‘green’ cities. Hotel Felix combines oping an existing property of this vintage often expect the feel of incandescent and
these two elements as Chicago’s first down- posed challenges for the design team, but halogen lighting. Hotel owners prefer it for
town hotel designed to achieve a Leader- re-using the building lessens the environ- the warm quality of light and the relatively
ship in Energy and Environmental Design mental impact. low cost of fixtures. However, in this age
(LEED®) Silver rating from the U.S. Green There are only a few lighting-specific of sustainability and energy codes, it is our
Building Council (USGBC). The hotel owner, LEED credits that a project can attain, yet responsibility to shake people out of their
Oxford OBG Hospitality Investment Part- electric light is one of the most perceptible wish to “do things like we have always done
ners, wanted to create a boutique hotel, forms of energy to a visitor. Hotel guests them”. Lighting designers need to be more
offering the expected upscale experience might not perceive the sustainability of creative. We can give hotel visitors a posi-
for guests while incorporating environmen- the organic paint compound used in wall tive experience, make our clients happy and
tally friendly design. The hotel’s very name treatments, but they certainly will no- meet power density restrictions.
invokes happiness, and this was the defining tice excessive electric lighting or worse: Our goals in strategising the lighting design
goal. We needed to create an atmosphere intrusive lighting that is designed for energy were to create various moods in concert
for happiness. The overall result balances efficiency without regard for visual interest with the architecture and to control energy
urban chic with natural elements and or comfort. ‘Environment’ is key for hospi- consumption. We felt we could use energy-
high-tech amenities with green design. This tality, and with this project, that truth took efficient sources in non-obtrusive ways to
225-room boutique hotel is a fine example on additional meaning. meet our goals and those of the client. The
of how good design practices can merge the Although the exterior lighting had challeng- lighting design contributed toward earn-
goals of sustainability with the business of es associated with working on an existing ing LEED certification points by helping to
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