Oceans, located in the lobby at the southwest entrance, is a freestanding interactive kinetic art sculpture.
An Environment as Entertainment At the Monumental Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Lighting and Architecture Create Visual Drama on a Grand Scale By VILMA BARR Photos: Fontainebleau Las Vegas, courtesy of participating designers; Oceans, courtesy of BREAKFAST
The profile of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas reveals a towering glassenclosed mega-hospitality facility. Opened December 8, 2023, the 68-story hotel, containing 3,644 guest rooms, stands as the tallest building in Nevada. Originally announced in 2005, construction actually began in February 2007. In the 16 intervening years, different ownerships and developers came and went, initiating projects like the El Rancho Hotel and Casino and the Algiers, followed by an extended period of complete shutdown. Currently owned by Fontainebleau Development and Koch Real Estate Investments, Fontainebleau Las Vegas was developed at a cost of $3.7 billion. It takes advantage of its 24.5-acre site at 2777 South Las Vegas Blvd., anchoring the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall, by offering more than 550,000 sq. ft. of its own meeting space. A total of 36 restaurants and bars will ultimately be operating, some available 24/7, to serve guests. Promenade is the featured food hall for casual fare.
History, Challenges, Imagination, and Innovation Fontainebleau Las Vegas is the latter day theme interpretation of the original Fontainebleau Miami Beach that came onto the Florida resort scene 70 years ago to set a gold standard for luxury hotels. Described as “swanky” by the media of the era, it was designed by architect Morris Lapidus with a sweeping curvilinear façade. Lapidus, recognized by his signature bow tie that has since become the establishment’s logo, was cited as having designed his work as theater, functioning as “an architecture of joy.” Located on a 20acre Atlantic oceanfront site, it now has a total of 1,500 guestrooms following an extensive upgrade completed in 2008. 28
designing lighting
For Fontainebleau Las Vegas, CEO Jeffrey Soffer and Development Director Brett Mufson set about creating an experience that would transport guests and visitors from the city’s non-stop glitz into a lively and tasteful environment. The design brief’s message was to impart to each interior surroundings that would encourage users to feel comfortable, encapsulated by a distinctive environment.
Interior Light Transitions “Accessible sophistication” was a mutual theme for the designers who applied their talents to the dining and public spaces for which they were responsible. Guiding guests and visitors within the various venues at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas was coordinated by the teams for spatial relationships, color selection, materials, and details for the layers of different lighting applications. There was agreement among the design team members that they were challenged to find ways to bring intimacy and scale that would feel appropriate to a major hospitality facility of this size. All three of the project’s major design firms have extensive experience in the international hospitality market. The planning of the artificial lighting took into consideration the brightness of the daylight in the desert, the transition from the lobby to the guest rooms and activity centers, and the lighting needs for the dining areas throughout the day and evening. “The spaces for dining at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas can be sleek, colorful, and fun, depending on the emphasis that distinguishes their theme,” commented the project director for one of the participating architectural firms. “We received excellent support directly from the hotel’s top management during the design development stage for the lighting,” the architect pointed out.