New York (December 2, 2010) – During a breakfast ceremony at the International Hotel Motel + Restaurant Show, Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel, Architects, PC won the prestigious Gold Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design for best guest room, Park Hyatt Macka Palas, Istanbul, Turkey. Randy Gerner, AIA, Principal and Bryan Bennett, Director of Design, accepted the award on behalf of the firm. The Park Hyatt Macka Palas was also a finalist for Best Hotel Design – Urban. Honorees were selected by a panel of notable industry experts from a field of more than 180 projects representing 19 countries.
Park Hyatt Maçka Palace marries historic and exotic elements with modern and luxurious, creating a unique space perpetuating Istanbul’s current culture. In addition to the façade restoration, GKV Architects designed 85 spectacular guestrooms, five penthouse suites, an ultra-hip rooftop bar, and a first-of-its-kind for Istanbul – a steakhouse, for the spare-no-expense luxury boutique hotel.
Each opulent guest room is equipped with numerous amenities including a chilled cosmetic cabinet, a state-of-the-art fully-stocked wet bar and fridge, i-Pod plug-ins and approximately two dozen light setting choices to adjust the mood and character of the room reflecting the guests’ current mood or character. Paying homage to the Turkish rituals and traditions of bathing, a separate room reserved for toilet and bidet as well as additional specially designed drinking and washing vessels were incorporated into the design. GKV Architects created a distinctive bathing experience called wet rooms, which feature five different bathing events: a splash tub, a rain shower, a Turkish bath, a steam shower and a light therapy shower.
“The Park Hyatt Macka Palas effortlessly combines historic and modern design to create a unique guest experience. We are thrilled that our work has been recognized by our peers and proudly accept the Gold Key Award for Best Guest Room Design,” explains Randy Gerner, AIA, Principal of GKV Architects.
About GKV Architects
Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel, Architects, PC is an award-winning New York City-based architecture and design firm with a focus on quality base building and interior design solutions. Founded in 1995 by Randolph H. Gerner, AIA, Richard N. Kronick, AIA and Miguel Valcarcel, AIA, the firm, with a professional staff of 40, has a broad portfolio of work in the residential, corporate, commercial, restoration, hospitality and institutional fields totaling more than 30 million square feet.
Related Stories
| May 23, 2013
Supertall 'Sky City' will house 4,400 families in Changsha, China
Broad Sustainable Building has completed a long and arduous approval process, and is starting excavation and construction on Sky City in June, 2013. The proposed "world's tallest building" will be a mixed-use project that could accommodate life and work needs of up to 30,000 people.
| May 23, 2013
Are design-build contracts killing small architecture firms?
Are federal design-build contract laws unfair to small firms? AIA thinks so, citing an interesting fact: an architecture firm spends a median of $260,000 to compete for a design-build project.
| May 23, 2013
Is the 'bring your own device' discussion stumping your IT group?
A new twist to the communication challenge most companies and IT departments face is the “bring your own device,” or BYOD, conundrum. I call it a conundrum because it is stumping many IT professionals.
| May 23, 2013
Portland State University’s School of Architecture launches Center for Public Interest Design
Portland State University’s School of Architecture is proud to announce the launch of its new Center for Public Interest Design, a research center that aims to investigate and utilize the power of design to make social, economic and environmental change in disadvantaged communities worldwide. The Center is the first of its kind in the nation.
| May 22, 2013
Return of retail? Rent growth seen in recovering markets
Like digging a ditch with a spoon, retail demand driven by population growth has eaten away at the supply of available store space in the markets that have been slowest to recover from the downturn. Vacancy rates are reaching a point that will give at least some landlords in every market the clout to demand slightly higher rents.
| May 22, 2013
New ASTM standard enhances hollow structural sections
ASTM A1085 is a big step forward in simplifying HSS design and usage, thereby making it a more desirable option for HSS.
| May 22, 2013
Architecture billings take a step back in April, ending growth streak
For the first time in 10 months, the AIA's Architecture Billings Index slipped into negative territory, falling to 48.6 in April, down from 51.9 the previous month. This is the ABI's lowest mark since July 2012.
| May 21, 2013
Foster + Partners reveals plans for London residential towers
British firm Foster + Partners has unveiled plans for two residential skyscrapers as part of a mixed-use development in north London.
| May 21, 2013
RSMeans cost comparisons: pools, racquetball courts, bowling alleys, hockey/soccer facilities
Construction market analysts from RSMeans offer construction costs per square foot for four building types across 25 metro markets.