Lorenc+Yoo created new wayfinding signage this original John Portman atrium space. The team developed a comprehensive wayfinding strategy to address confusing circulation through the two towers. Additionally, they simplified ballroom naming and numbering to improve visitors’ ease of use. The final result is new floor- and wall-mounted directories, overhead directionals, tower identity signs, and plaques. All the signs use aluminum painted to match the wall surfaces and/or stainless steel.

Lorenc+Yoo worked with tvsdesign and CSS on the Hyatt’s recent renovation by integrating new wayfinding signage into this refined space. The goal was to update the look while also keeping the spirit of the original system.

The team developed a comprehensive way finding strategy to address confusing circulation through the two towers. To further assist, the team recommended new names for the hotel and conference center’s lower levels and for some of the meeting rooms. Additionally, they simplified ballroom naming and numbering to improve visitors’ ease of use.

Lorenc+Yoo designed new floor- and wall-mounted directories, overhead directionals, tower identity signs, and basic plaques. All the signs use aluminum painted to match the wall surfaces and/or stainless steel. They also made us of transparent surfaces, light typography, and interior illumination to contribute to the hotel’s new look.

The result is a clean, modern look in keeping with the new architecture and furnishings, bringing the hotel and convention center into the 21st century.

Lorenc+Yoo Design re-envisioned the entire wayfinding and signage system for Detroit’s Greektown Casino. The exterior signage reflects the original signs, some of which are still in place, but with a modern twist.  Whereas the old signs used individual bulbs (think Broadway marquis signs), the new ones use LEDs.  The overall feel of the signs is the same, and use the full 5-color palette of the Greektown logo in both paint and neon. The interior casino signs relied heavily on Greek theming, using patterns and colors found in the casino.  In the hotel however, the treatment is more refined, paying homage to the wonderful interior designed by the architecture firm Rossetti.  Prismatic gold letters mounted directly to dark wood walls lend an air of distinction.

Sycuan Casino required a new identity signage system for its 245,000 square feet renovation. Lorenc+Yoo designed punchy, internally lit signs for the new sports grill, deli, and buffet area. The Live & Up Close desk is framed by lit horizontal bands that add a modern touch to a space otherwise dominated by wood tones.

Nestled in hills adjoining a lake, Fish In The Garden is a new development by Vanke, China’s largest real estate developer. It features retail, hotel, and residential spaces, including high-end villas. The designers developed overall project branding, wayfinding signage, entry features, and site sculpture to reflect an organic theme. The designers featured fish scales, organic shapes, and modern forms, integrating both Chinese and English text. Designers created an emblematic logo for the development and sheathed it and other pieces in bronze coloration to add a rustic character. Modern sign fittings subtly contrast with the worn appearance.

Lorenc+Yoo designed Brookfield’s exhibition to immediately indicate its high stature in the real estate industry. The design team showcased Brookfield’s projects via a series of unified video monitors at the front of the space accompanied by casual, comfortable seating for visitors to use while waiting for a meeting room to become available. Three separate meeting rooms for private conversations exist within the space, each expressing a consistent, minimalist, and high quality design vernacular. Overhead lights shine from a canopy above, providing the illusion of a ceiling within the tall convention hall.

Lorenc+Yoo worked with the casino’s interior designers to develop an integrated, dynamic identity system that features wood tones, natural shapes, and prairie-style flourishes. The character of Four Winds Casino’s signage is that of a wilderness lodge with all the amenities. Stone and wood characterizes the exterior signage, while illuminated signs inside provide the appearance of stained glass. The exterior and interior aspects of the system relate seamlessly, and provide light to the relatively dark interior lighting.

Lorenc+Yoo designed the interior signage so that it integrated into the millwork and finishes. Three-dimensional directional pieces provide additional texture and appeal. Additionally, the team designed new signage for the City Club of Buckhead, a private dinner and lunch club.

Lorenc+Yoo Design is proud to announce a number of ongoing projects for Vanke, China’s largest residential developer. Lorenc+Yoo is involved actively with Vanke and its architects in the creation of three exciting projects that are setting the standard for modern living in China: Opalus in Guangzhou, Vanke Plaza in Shenzhen, and Fish In The Garden in Guangzhou.

Vanke-Guangzhou retained Lorenc+Yoo to orchestrate the entire branding and storytelling for Opalus, a mixed-use art deco-inspired project that contains 1600 residential units, retail spaces, an elementary school, a kindergarten, and villas. Lorenc+Yoo developed the narrative storyline for the project, and evolved conceptual experiential images to illustrate the overall vision for the development’s marketing program, entries, and gardens. In collaboration with Opalus’s architectural and landscape architectural teams, Lorenc+Yoo is developing the design visions for the development’s entrance, street experience, sculpture, dining, and recreation. Additionally, Lorenc+Yoo is creating custom architectural jewelry, including canopies, awnings, banners, and light fixtures. This project is currently under construction and will open in early 2012.

Similar to Opalus, Vanke Plaza in Shenzhen is a large-scale mixed-use project with residential towers, an urban shopping mall, public facilities, and parks. But unlike Opalus and unique to Vanke Plaza is its historic Hakka village, which dates back to the last century. The Hakka are a distinct ethnic group in southern China whose culture and architecture have provided inspiration for Vanke Plaza’s design and allure. In addition to integrating Hakka influences, Lorenc+Yoo designed a beautiful art deco vernacular, giving the buildings a dynamic art deco look and feel. Sophisticated architectural jewelry such as canopies, culturally relevant decorative inlay patterns, and a strong retail base unite Vanke Plaza’s design and allow it to remain uncluttered and sleek even as retail tenants change. Lorenc+Yoo’s touch can be felt throughout Vanke Plaza in the building overlay design, garages, the sales center, elevator doors, lighting, and color palette. Vanke Plaza will open in December 2011.

In addition to Opalus, Vanke-Guangzhou retained Lorenc+Yoo to develop the storyline and vision for a new mountain villa resort community called Fish In The Garden. Nestled in the hills and adjoining a lake, Fish In The Garden contains retail spaces, a hotel, and a number of high-end residential villas. Lorenc+Yoo is developing project branding that is being applied on wayfinding signage, entry features, site sculpture, sales centers, children’s play facilities, hotel identity and signage design, and a temporary barricade design to allow visitors to see the amenities of the project during construction. Fish In The Garden will open in 2012 and quickly become a place where the busy people of Guangzhou can become refreshed and inspired.

Lorenc+Yoo’s major expansion into China couldn’t have reached success without a valuable addition to our team. Earlier this year, Mac Liu joined Lorenc+Yoo as its China Project Coordinator. Mac handles all of the firm’s Chinese communication, contracts, and project management to ensure it can respond to clients’ needs accurately.

Lorenc+Yoo’s 34 years of experience in the United States, Middle East, and Korea have allowed the firm to provide its clients with thoughtful narrative development and beautiful visual designs, and set the stage for these exceptional opportunities in China. “The Vanke projects are the most challenging in our firm’s history and also the most creatively promising,” says Jan Lorenc. “We are proud to be on these design teams and grateful to have such dynamic and demanding clients who continue to push and stretch our creative abilities in this most exciting and growing country.”