Navy Pier’s first hotel, Sable at Navy Pier, opened this week in Chicago. The KOO-designed project links the lake with the city that acts as its backdrop.
KOO started with a window box as the organizing principle for the design of the facade and guest rooms. Each of the 223 guest rooms features a window seat with views of Chicago’s skyline and Lake Michigan. The angled surface of each room’s window seat creates a textured exterior that reflects the range of light, shadow, and color of the lake.
The interior design, also done by KOO, pulls inspiration from Navy Pier’s history as a port and the eponymous USS Sable by incorporating subtle nautical cues like weathered brass, ship building materials, and the use of smooth curves similar to those of a ship’s interior cabin. The color palette is grounded by mixed neutrals and highlighted by a spectrum of blues and blue-greens reminiscent of the colors of Lake Michigan.
The design of Sable at Navy Pier also preserves Navy Pier’s structure. A unique structural engineering approach was introduced to protect the pier. The design uses micropiles that thread through the existing pier foundations and lake water to bedrock below. The micropyles support new columns and a new structural slab that creates a platform to carry the hotel floors. The columns create an arcade that supports the hotel rooms above the Sable at Navy Pier’s lobby and newly created retail space.
In addition to KOO as the architect, James McHugh Construction Co. was the project’s general contractor. Sable at Navy Pier is targeting LEED Silver certification.
Related Stories
| Sep 24, 2014
Must see: Semi-submerged hotel planned for Qatar's man-made island
Plans for a new hotel in the Persian Gulf are taking Dubai’s Palm Islands concept to a whole new level—underwater, that is.
| Sep 24, 2014
Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector
On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
| Sep 22, 2014
Sound selections: 12 great choices for ceilings and acoustical walls
From metal mesh panels to concealed-suspension ceilings, here's our roundup of the latest acoustical ceiling and wall products.
| Sep 16, 2014
Ranked: Top hotel sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Tutor Perini, Gensler, and AECOM top BD+C's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from hospitality sector projects, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 15, 2014
Ranked: Top international AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Gensler, and Jacobs top BD+C's rankings of U.S.-based design and construction firms with the most revenue from international projects, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 15, 2014
Argentina reveals plans for Latin America’s tallest structure
Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announces the winning design by MRA+A Álvarez | Bernabó | Sabatini for the capital's new miexed use tower.
| Sep 9, 2014
Using Facebook to transform workplace design
As part of our ongoing studies of how building design influences human behavior in today’s social media-driven world, HOK’s workplace strategists had an idea: Leverage the power of social media to collect data about how people feel about their workplaces and the type of spaces they need to succeed.
| Sep 7, 2014
Behind the scenes of integrated project delivery — successful tools and applications
The underlying variables and tools used to manage collaboration between teams is ultimately the driving for success with IPD, writes CBRE Healthcare's Megan Donham.
| Sep 3, 2014
New designation launched to streamline LEED review process
The LEED Proven Provider designation is designed to minimize the need for additional work during the project review process.
