PREMISE
When it comes to hotels, a brand based off of comfort is essential; From the moment someone walks into a hotel, their entire experience is based off of their comfort and enjoyment of the space. It’s important to consider how the inclusion of landscape features will make a person feel. Greenery is scientifically proven to have a relaxing impact on individuals, so implementing green features in a hotel is a given. By having a large variety of artificial trees and a space to be surrounded by them, feelings of bliss and relaxing are guaranteed to be prevalent. This makes sure this place of relaxation is filled with the highest quality artificial trees one can provide required upmost importance.
INTENT
With such an open area, it was very important for us to help create a strong sense of space. When you’re striving to celebrate nature and achieve comfort, the major factor to consider is how these plants will interact with the space. This space specifically was very lighting focus as there is a glass ceiling. Our large trees were configurated carefully to ensure that patterns of motion through the shadows were properly implemented. And due to the sunlight exposure, it was important to make sure that these trees would last and look as good-as-new even with this high level of light. Guaranteeing that these trees would be the best usage of the space and would maintain their high quality were some of the most important aspects for us.
CHALLENGES
Our major challenge was due to the fact that this project was in Dubai, meaning we had to accommodate for customs and shipping the product in advance. This also meant that making sure every detail of the project was perfectly laid out with plenty of time before the installation to prepare for the amount of time transportation would take. We also had to ensure that these trees were the perfect fit for this space as they would receive plenty of direct light. In order to guarantee that these faux plants are will stay looking as perfect as they did installation day for years to come, our PermaLeaf® process is designed to protect the greenery. Extensive weathering and UV testing has demonstrated that our trees will not fade from constant sunlight exposure, ensuring that these trees are optimal for their placement in this space.
VISUAL CONNECTION WITH NATURE
Maintaining visual connections to nature is the most important theme to follow when establishing our installation of the trees. As our intent in the space is to create an immersive experience, we wanted to ensure that visitors of the JW Marriot would feel refreshed with our placement. With trees surrounding the benches and the pathway, this greenery serves the function of maintaining a blissful atmosphere while guests use these accommodations. We strove to make sure that when someone walks into this space for the first time, the connection with nature is achieved.
REFUGE
Refuge provides safety and security within the space, making sure that one can properly feel at ease and enjoy the environment as optimally as possible. With a place like the JW Marriot, it’s important to evaluate how welcome your guests feel when introduced to the area. With that in mind, we evaluated how to make the space feel welcoming through the inclusion of big trees around the edges of the space. This prevented the lobby from being too open and intimidating and instead being more closed off, intimate, and comfortable.
LIGHT
Light was an essential element to this project as the entire area was under a glass ceiling that flooded the room with natural sunlight. While this is the perfect way to open up such a big space, the trees have to be carefully maneuvered and placed to accommodate for the way the light filled the room. The design intent was centered around an in-depth analysis of the sun’s path and consideration of the density of the foliage; These transparency strategies were carefully designed around the lobby. After an in-depth analysis of the space, we designed the best method of creating a sense of harmony by making sure that all of the elements were unified. Overall, this made sure that our design was analyzed to be as optimized as possible.
CONCLUSION
Our goal was to design the project space with artificial trees that would make the JW Marriot an environment centered around comfort. By maintaining patterns of biophilic design such as visual connections to nature, refuge, and light, we were able to accurately create a project that maintain these themes of comfort and experience while also putting together cohesive character for the space.