Outdoor Illumination "Moves Inside" at Embassy Suites

Outdoor Illumination has been fortunate to work at some of the region's most prestigious addresses, including The Vice President's Residence, Dumbarton Oaks, Lincoln Cottage, Christ Church and Blair House. Recently, we also designed and implemented landscape lighting inside – at the large atrium inside The Embassy Suites Hotel at 22nd and N Streets in Northwest Washington.

We were contacted by Rob Oursler, General Manager of the Embassy Suites, and charged with updating the lighting in the extensive waterfalls and among the large palm trees in the atrium.

Our challenge was to present an atmospheric solution that appeared subtle as we competed with ambient functional lighting.

Employing advanced infrared halogen lamps with precise beam spreads, we were able to create the proper effects for up lighting the Palm trees. Given the variety of palm specimens, some tall and up right, others sprawling, some with lightly textured trunks, others with dark and heavy leaf canopies, lamp specifications were crucial to generating the best result.

The plantscape provided challenges as well. Lush understory plant canopies presented obstacles for up lights on palm trees. Senior Design Consultant Matt Taylor and our dedicated installation team carefully mapped out fixture placement to achieve the best results.

Yet another challenge was the architecture of the building. Embassy Suites are designed with hallways that open into the atrium. We needed to consider potential glare as guests look down on the plaza below. Given that, we elected to install B-K Delta Star MR-16 bullets. These fixtures are architecturally clean and offer enhanced glare protection via deeply seated lamp sockets. Again, fixture positioning was performed with a careful eye on the floors above. We also specified louvered lenses in the fixtures, which act as baffles to minimize glare.

The waterfalls were captured in motion by carefully positioned submerged solid brass fixtures. Some of the fixtures were submerged quite deeply, others in shallow pools. Water can present diffusing challenges, so specific luminescence was key to a balanced effect. Further, wire access to various pools of water presented obstacles. The goal, as always, is to make sure that the wire is not visible.

The final result is warm and welcoming to guests and associates alike. The lighting effect enhances the property by day and is even more compelling in the evening. Best of all, the quality of fixtures and integrity of installation should combine to deliver consistent performance for decades to come.

The feedback has been very positive. In Rob Oursler's words: "The final product exceeded our expectations and the professional expertise Outdoor Illumination brought to this project allowed us to maximize the effect of the plantscape and architectural features in our indoor atrium."

We couldn't have said it any better!