In a creative approach to community engagement, students in Monroe, Louisiana, were invited to participate in “Design Camp,” an interactive event at the Northeast Louisiana Children’s Museum.
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Employee Spotlight - Michael Vega
At Campo Architects, we have some outstanding employees on our team. Each month, we’ll be turning the spotlight on one of our team members responsible for bringing our designs to life. Get to know Architect, Michael Vega.
1. How has working at Campo Architects helped you in your career development?
Campo Architects has a good balance between guidance, institutional memory, and mentorship on the one hand, and on the other hand offering the autonomy to problem solve, make decisions, and design for the unique conditions in each project.
2. What advice would you give to people who hope to follow a career path similar to yours?
Get a variety of experiences early on in your career. Work for big firms, small firms, commercial, residential, even for contractors and owners, to better understand all sides of the design ecosystem.
3. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
Making delicious jams and jellies. Also flying helicopters!
4. What are your hopes for the future of the design industry?
The hope I’m most involved in is the development of processes and automated tools to help streamline the more analytic parts of the design process, both to allow for more focus on the design aspect, as well as opening up design services to more people.
5. What is something you learned in the last month?
How to cook Thanksgiving at the beach
6. What are your thoughts on working from home?
I enjoy the flexibility and the commute especially. Still working on the work/life balance.
BD | NY 2020 Virtual Conference - "The Seelbach Story"
Campo Architects’ own Kerry Soniat participated in the Boutique Design New York 2020 Virtual Conference that took place earlier this week. With over 40 influencers packed into two days of virtual presentations, the conference offered much needed inspiration to offset the change of venue from NYC due to COVID-19. This year’s conference kicked off with four panels featuring leaders among the hospitality development and design industry. The panels provided insight on struggles faced as a result of the pandemic and shared strategic solutions for moving forward as an industry. All panelists emphasized the importance of partnerships now more than ever, and how to establish effective collaborations to develop a successful project. Day two of the BDNY conference held five panels focusing on women leadership in hospitality, the NEWH Beyond design competition, boutique hotel design, hospitality hybrids typologies, and the story of the Seelbach hotel.
“The Seelbach Hotel Story” panel was moderated by Michael Suomi (President, Suomi Design Works). In addition to Kerry Soniat (Campo Architects, Project Architect), the panel also featured Bethany Gale (Interiors Associate, Stonehill Taylor), Jim Merkel (President and CEO, Rockbridge Capital), and Chris Rupp (Sr. Vice President, RB Hotel Development). With the Owner and design team, this panel focused on the rich history of this luxurious hotel and how the renovation plans to bring its iconic architecture back to life.
Founded by brothers Louis and Otto Seelbach, the Seelbach Hotel opened in 1905 on the outskirts of then downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Since its inauguration, the Seelbach Hotel has had enormous success, which led to subsequent additions to the building in its early years of operation. The hotel’s European-inspired grandeur resulted in the shift of Louisville’s downtown hub and reshaped the city’s planning efforts. Over the past 115 years, the Seelbach Hotel has become a beloved icon of Louisville hospitality, and its upcoming renovation will continue to celebrate the hotel’s luxurious legacy.
Two prominent historic features that are part of the upcoming renovation include the rediscovery of the historic rooftop garden and the invigoration of the hotel’s ground and basement level gathering spaces. At the backside of the building, an addition will be incorporated that features a new rooftop with qualities inspired by the once existing historic roof garden, including a solarium and bar. The Bavarian-styled Rathskeller located in the hotel’s basement is decorated with rare Rookwood Pottery and includes historically preserved ornamentation throughout the space. As a nod to their German heritage, the Seelbach brothers designed this space to resemble a Biergarten and incorporated dozens of pelican figures that are meant to represent good luck.
The Seelbach Hotel’s renovation will celebrate the building’s grandeur by bringing back a sense of luxury for the guests upon their immediate arrival to the property. The project will relocate the hotel reception, allowing for a comfortable space for guests to check-in and allow the larger public space to reflect the hotel’s historic design intent though it’s interior finishes. During the renovation, the design and development team has been able to investigate the legends surrounding the Seelbach Hotel first-hand, including the discovery of secret passages to underground tunnels of Louisville used by Al Capone.
The panel also communicated challenges they faced when diving into the Seelbach project. For example, to achieve a higher level of luxury, larger bathrooms were incorporated to existing guestroom layouts. These changes required complete alteration of the existing plumbing system and reconfiguration of the guest spaces. As with any historic preservation project, there are unforeseen challenges when converting older buildings into modern facilities. Due to the previous experience and skill-set of this project’s design team, the Seelbach Hotel’s complex renovation will maximize guest experiences and revive the property’s former potential.
Campo Architects + InterMountain Form a Strategic Alliance to Redefine the Post-Pandemic Hotel
John T. Campo JR., AIA, NCARB Campo Architects | President
Mary Gilmore, AIA, NCIDQ Campo Architects | Director of Interior Design
Jared Walker, InterMountain Renovation Consultants | Executive Vice President
Colby Weaver Walker, InterMountain Renovation Consultants | Design & Purchasing Manager
Campo Architects Celebrate Major Milestone with Topping Out Ceremony
Campo Architects, Marriott, Core Construction, and Guidry Enterprises celebrated a major milestone in the construction of Residence Inn on St. Charles Avenue. The event signified the first new construction of a high-rise hotel in New Orleans in over a decade. The topping out ceremony celebrated the placement of the final steel beam, signifying the next stage of the construction process. We’re proud to have partnered with industry leaders on this monumental project and are looking forward to seeing the completed project!