Yotel Honored with IALD Award of Merit -- Lighting Design by Focus Lighting

Fifteen award winners representing architectural lighting design projects from seven countries comprise the winners of the 29th annual International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) International Lighting Design Awards, recognized at a presentation held May 10 at the Renaissance Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Of the 15 projects recognized, two entries earned Special Citations, six earned Awards of Merit, and seven earned Awards of Excellence.

Yotel has a distinct design aesthetic inspired by business-class airline cabins and Japanese capsule hotels. This UK-based hotel brand demands 21st century luxury through the use of light-hued finishes in modern and sleek spaces. The lighting design is seamlessly integrated into the architecture to showcase the spaces themselves.

From the lobby, elevators take visitors directly to the concierge area - Mission Control - on the fourth floor. LED strips are mounted on the underside of the concierge desk and within the retail display so guests can easily locate assistance. Simple globe lights adorn the lounge booths to correspond to the sense of rhythm created by the acoustic ceiling tiles.

"Lighting is in sync with the design concept behind the Yotel and becomes a visual expression of the brand," one judge stated.

Guests are completely immersed in this futuristic environment of computerized concierges, a luggage-toting robot and beds that rotate and transform with a push of a button. Through this unobtrusive approach to lighting, Yotel maintains its clean lines all through the use of LEDs that adhere to LEED Silver requirements.

Lighting design was by Paul Gregory, Scott Hay, Michael Cummings, Ken Ventry, Christine Hope, Kenneth Schutz, and Brett Andersen, of Focus Lighting. Architects were the Rockwell Group and Arquitectonica.