| Beautifully situated
atop a 150-foot bluff with a panoramic view of the Pacific
Ocean, The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel is an elegant coastal
retreat that recently called upon Brad Oldham Int’l,
Inc. (BOI) to help renovated its dining and lobby areas. Guests
entering the hotel immediately notice the ocean hues mixed
with plum and silver to create a graceful “Ritz-Carlton”
look and feel. However, the dining area needed a visual break
from the rest of the lobby while maintaining the open, ocean-view
feel. BOI worked with Strategic Hotels to create a sculptural
wall inspired by the sea kelp forest native to that part of
the Pacific Ocean.
The 8 foot tall, 60 foot long sculpture was
created in three sections of aluminum, steel, hand-blown glass,
and LED lights. The -inch aluminum sheets were hand cut into
organic sea kelp shapes; hand building each piece helped create
unique movement. The aluminum “sea kelp” blades
had 5/8-inch aluminum tubes snaking through them to add physical
structure and intrigue. Three colors of hand-blown glass pods
were incorporated throughout the sculpture to catch light
and provide an artistic nod to the reflections and refractions
of the Pacific Ocean. The BOI artisans built a -inch aluminum
base to house the 120 3-watt LED lights shinning up onto the
sea kelp forest. The entire sculpture is well lit, using 60
watts of power.
The careful engineering and planning of the sculpture provided
for a straightforward installation. Since the sculpture was
first built in the company’s Dallas studio, many assembly
and installation issues were addressed before the three-man
team arrived in California.
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