Reviewing hotel room lighting mock ups
Shanghai, 13th November 2009
Though Friday the 13th today, I went about work as usual…A mock up room review for one of our hotel projects (JW Marriott) in the morning. Then a design coordination meeting in the afternoon with interior designer and client for another project. This is pretty much the hectic schedule for work in China. Actual design work and design meetings with my team are a challenge with the client demanding lots of attention. To me it is crucial to review lighting mock ups as it is the first culmination of our conceptual design work. It reveals the through interaction with the architecture and interior design. A hotel project always includes a mock up of a standard room, generally one king and one twin bed version with two different schemes for the client to appreciate and make a final decision.
In China it is common that already in the mock up stages alternative and so called equivalent materials and products are used. This is a real issue as it does not allow us to really appreciate the original design! While I can understand the need for value engineering it should be done AFTER the mock up room and not before! It is surprising that even top hotels such as Marriott, Hilton, etc succumb to client pressure ….
Today I again I was confronted with architectural light fittings (down lights, etc) that I had not specified. Decorative light fittings (bedside, floor and table lamps) that were nowhere near the quality required. Some contractor had decided to bring in a friend of a friend to supply I can only assume…. While we know how to explain the disappointing lighting performance, clients sometimes have a hard time understanding the value of quality and specifications!
The long awaited book compilation of Martin's first year of blogging is available. Order now.
Feedspot Top 100 Lighting Blogs