Gensler used hospitality-inspired furnishings, lighting and finishes to create a memorable lobby space for those visiting Fantome Tower L.P. & Hines in Houston, Texas.

In today’s competitive real estate market, owners and operators are looking to differentiate properties through memorable and entertaining amenities. This is the approach – Fantome Tower L.P. & Hines took in reimagining the lobby within the 55-story downtown Houston office tower, 1100 Louisiana.

Beyond renovating and upgrading the lobby with hospitality-inspired furnishings, lighting and finishes, the design team incorporated a new, digital platform dubbed “the 1100 Experience.” Now the lobby’s crown jewel, the 1100 Experience provides tenants and visitors access to a vast, dynamic vision of influential metrics and local art.

The 1100 Experience is a 4K LED display measuring 32 feet wide by 18 feet high – making it the largest commercial office indoor digital installation of its kind in downtown Houston. Connected to the building’s centralized escalators, the floor-to-ceiling digital wall installation engages visitors and tenants in an immersive and captivating experience as they journey through the lobby during their day. At the tunnel level, vertical LED light bands transect stainless steel panels, drawing the eye upward to the lobby where the digital screen emerges into full view.

Inspired by infinite possibilities, the display’s content engine generates content around four themes, which draw from Houston’s cultural patrimony. Beauty in Data delves into data visualizations, which paint the story of Houston’s past and future as an undulating, colorful ribbon. Change of State depicts the unexpected progression of crystalline substances from one state of matter to another, reflecting the continual evolution of Houston. Imagination Room fuses elemental spheres, traveling through a space-age reinterpretation of the architectural forms of 1100 Louisiana. Living Wall captures the energy of life, showcasing regional plants in naturalistic conditions amid creative plantings.

A strategic content schedule was created to provide visitors and tenants with a more powerful experience. Early risers will discover slower movements and soft imagery across the screen during the hours of 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. The morning commuters will witness more energetic images displaying analog templates with digital art images that morph announcements and promotions, key activities and community events. Slower transitions are once again shown as the morning rush dies down and feature vast landscapes and national landmarks. Lunch time features robust color content and transitions along with key local events and celebrations to mimic the buildings high energy during noon including imagery and video from NASA. Mid-day mimics the late evening display showing softer images, slower transitions and soothing colors and shapes. As tenants and patrons depart for their evening commute, the 1100 Experience will display large color transitions, digital art and promotional events for local museums, theaters, shows and events.

Design: Gensler Contractor: Gallant Builders Photography: Grant Gay

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