Casino Lobby Maintains Design

The growing popularity of the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif., triggered a major expansion that nearly doubled the size of the existing lobby and registration area.

When designing the new addition, which features a glass atrium that streams daylight into the expanded lobby, the design team from Klai Juba Wald Interiors, of Las Vegas, was charged with incorporating some of the existing feature elements into the new space. “We needed to have continuity with the existing design, yet with new character design elements, fresh and updated,” says Ann Fleming, principal at Klai Juba Wald Interiors.

The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, which owns and operates the casino resort, liked the idea of continuing the look of the existing wood ceiling into the new space. “The client prefers warm finishes with handsome woods,” explains Fleming. “Their idea of continuing a wood ceiling in the lobby expansion felt appropriate.”

However, unlike the existing wood ceiling, the new ceiling would need to be accessible to allow maintenance of the mechanical components in the plenum. “We had to facilitate the building systems into the space, including the lighting, so the durability, accessibility and maintenance of the ceiling was critical,” she adds. The new ceiling would also need to provide visual interest and allow light from the atrium to play off the design.

Working with the You Inspire Solutions Center at Armstrong Ceiling & Wall Solutions, the design team was able to meet these criteria with a custom Metal-Works Linear ceiling system in an Effects Wood Looks Dark Cherry finish.

The 7,625-sq.-ft. ceiling, which is suspended 30 ft. above the floor, includes more than 100 triangular-shaped pods made up of about 20 panels each. The pods consist of two different custom-shaped triangles: 10 ft. 4 in. × 15 in. and 14 ft. 5 in. × 9 ft. 7 in. The pods are installed at various slopes and are separated by a 9-in. gap, creating a fractured, geometric visual. “By creating that fractured look with different shapes at different heights, we were able to break the expansive ceiling, allow some light play, and make it more organic in feel than a straight, flat ceiling,” explains Fleming.

Armstrong Ceilings supplied more than 300 custom perimeter trim types at the exact length and mitered angles required for each corner, along with elevation points for each pod, enabling the ceiling installer to build and suspend the pods correctly.

The metal panels are perforated and backed with black acoustical fleece to help absorb noise in the busy lobby/atrium area.

“Because of the height, you would never know it was a metal ceiling,” says Fleming. “It looks handsome and elegant, and it gave us a nice transition from the real wood ceiling to the new lobby/atrium ceiling.”