Projects

River Spirit Casino and Resort underwent a major expansion project. The massive project included a Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant, Paradise Cove Theatre (which is a 2,500+ seat showroom for live entertainment and sporting events), a 22-story 500-key upscale hotel tower, a world-class spa, convention and meeting centre, and new restaurants. 

Schuler Shook provided theatre planning services that included performance and architectural lighting control systems design, theatre seating including the VIP suites with open ​“Party Decks”. Seating is flexible to accommodate arena-style seating for MMA events. Schuler Shook also provided the rigging control system for in-house and touring production hoist control and conjunction with advisory services for rigging support steel and for catwalk layouts. 

Architectural lighting design services included house lighting for the theatre and VIP area, main casino lobby and floor, guest rooms and suites, fitness centre, hotel corridors, pool bar, ballroom and associated pre-function space and meeting rooms. 

T‑Rex is an interactive and immersive themed restaurant and retail attraction. Life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, mammoth and other creatures are found in specially themed spaces or ​“zones” such as the Geothermal Kitchen of Fire, the Shark Bar, Fern and Sequoia Forests, and the Children’s Archeological Dig Site. The lighting scheme provides drama and task illumination, complex show programming, and sustainable maintenance.

In the Geothermal zone, natural gas flames erupt from rock fissures. Enhanced impact is provided by flame-effect motion projectors illuminating themed elements. Geothermal activity continues with the fiery LED animation of translucent sculpted lava, juxtaposed behind a cool blue ​“ice melt” waterfall.

The Shark Bar’s giant octopus has animatronic tentacles and provides task lighting through end-emitting fiber optics mounted in its suction cups. LED’s animate the bar in subtle waves.

Other lighting elements include water ripple-effects and ocean tones, internally lit jellyfish providing table lighting, the ice cave’s translucent glowing walls, projected fir and pine cone images in the Sequoia Forest, luminous planets, and internally lit asteroid fixtures in the retail space.

Schuler Shook designs the lighting for the themed Rainforest Cafés worldwide, usually including the interior and exterior of the restaurant, plus a retail area.

The Rainforest Café pictured here is located in Downtown Disney, Anaheim, California. It is a 30,000 square foot free standing restaurant, bar and retail space. The interior restaurant surrounds a three-story atrium with ​“Atlas Man” and a waterfall. The exterior space is inviting with a trellised patio. Both the interior and exterior theme was inspired by the architectural ruins of indigenous Central American peoples.

The renovation of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Downtown Minneapolis included interior and exterior illumination of the entries, lobbies, restaurants, and meeting rooms. The lighting design assists in giving the property a strong presence on the street and provides a welcoming glow in the lobbies and guest areas. Schuler Shook also provided design services for the Crowne Plaza Bloomington Hotel.

River Spirit Casino, located on the Arkansas River, captures elements that are significant to the Muscogee Creek Nation’s culture: farming, community, water, air, sky. Along the front facade, specialty light poles guide guests to the entry. 

Inside the front entry, guests are greeted with a beaded curtain, highlighted to sparkle and shimmer like rain. Large cloud shaped elements, using LEDs, mimic the sky over the Nation and draw the guest into the casino. The lounge has a bubbly glow from various sized pendants suspended at random heights. Bordering the gaming area, vertical tree elements are internally illuminated, giving the suggestion of native trees lining the side of the river bank. 

Schuler Shook collaborated with the design team to provide integrated architectural lighting that reinforces the tribal themes and the concept of the casino.

Schuler Shook provided architectural lighting design for MB Financial Park at Rosemont, now Parkway Bank Park, a new multi-season park in the entertainment district of the Village of Rosemont, Illinois. The lighting design scope includes the skating rink, plaza, pedestrian paths, and seven new restaurant facades. 

The park is situated in a nine-acre development that includes several busy restaurants and pubs, providing a welcome outdoor activity area in combination with dining and retail spaces for a true multi-season entertainment environment.

The Langham Chicago is the international luxury brand’s third hotel in the United States and the first to be built within a Mies van der Rohe skyscraper. The Langham Chicago was named #1 in the continental US by Travel + Leisure magazine’s 2014 ​“World’s Best” awards.

The hotel is located on 13 floors of the protected structure, originally known as IBM Plaza. Architects at Goettsch Partners collaborated with Interior Designers Richmond International to create new, two-story volumes, lending height and daylight to the primary public spaces.

Guest rooms and suites feature warm indirect LED light coves, dedicated reading lights, glowing built-in vanity fixtures, and a guest-friendly control system that allows users to easily control individual zones, or all fixtures at once.

Our lighting scope included the hotel entry canopy, ground floor entry lobby, hotel reception lobby, lobby lounge, hotel guest rooms and suites, ballroom and meeting facilities, Pavilion tea lounge, Chuan Spa and the Health Club with special pool lighting.

The entry canopy and first floor lobby were designed in collaboration with Lohan Associates, and included a full scale canopy mockup that was reviewed and approved by the Landmarks Commission. Long life and energy efficient LED sources were used to create a rigorously ordered marquee announcing the main entry into the hotel.

An 18,000 SF restaurant, The Boathouse is developed around the theme of showcasing dream boats and finely crafted food. Lighting helps create drama and excitement throughout each space. Features include lakeside dining, display cooking, sushi bar, a stage for live music, and two full bars; one that is located on the dock and surrounded by boats.

Schuler Shook designed the lighting for the immersive restaurant’s multiple spaces as well as the exterior, the harbor master’s tower, and docking area. Lighting schemes are well-integrated to support multiple experiences, as the restaurant and entertainment space was built to look like a series of buildings ranging from a supply store to a boat manufacturing facility. 

Schuler Shook provided lighting design services on this fast-tracked project at the historic Hilton Chicago. The hotel’s restaurant, the bar/lounge area, and the grab-and-go retail space were renovated or entirely re-concepted, requiring new lighting designs as part of the brand and ambience for each of the three food and beverage areas.

A renovation provided a new contemporary look for the busy Marriott City Center. The lighting design was carefully crafted with the design team to create a warm and inviting destination.

Guests are welcomed to a new reception area that is sleek and sophisticated. The reception desk is illuminated using LED lighting while accent lights highlight local cultured stone columns and textured fabric walls. 

The bar area features a stunning alabaster bar that is softly back-lit, creating an energetic glow. The cultured stone accents, warm wood tones and high-end interiors are carried throughout the hotel and are emphasized with decorative pendants and accent lighting to provide a cohesive design. 

Hyatt unveiled an upmarket concept hotel branded as Hyatt Place. The focus is on the frequent traveler who requires an extended stay. In addition to spacious guestrooms, Hyatt has focused design efforts on the public areas called Hyatt Place Gallery. The Gallery blends contemporary décor with distinctive architecture, stylish furnishings and unexpected touches to create an atmosphere of casual hospitality.

Schuler Shook worked closely with Aria Group Architects to design the lighting and control systems for the Gallery, starting with a prototype for Hyatt and then designing the lighting for the Hyatt Place in Lombard.

The Dakota Jazz Club made a name for itself serving excellent food and providing great entertainment for 18 years in St. Paul. The Dakota’s owners saw an opportunity to relocate their bar / music / restaurant venue. This increased the Dakota’s business while giving the downtown area a boost in nightlife and offering a smart lunchtime destination.

The new 300-seat restaurant was designed for performances and boasts of great acoustics, sightlines, and lighting. Schuler Shook’s lighting design included theatrical fixtures accenting the stage, illuminated niches highlighting the architecture and wine storage, and decorative pendants over tables to create an upscale, yet intimate jazz club atmosphere.

This high concept restaurant in Beverly Hills focuses on the ​“show” of food preparation and a diverse menu of international flavors in a space that brings together contemporary architecture with existing brick and wood details. Lighting design for the 6,300 SF space includes the entrance, bar, dining areas and exterior façade lighting. 

Featured elements include artwork illuminated with a framing projector and an edge lit lighting detail behind the artwork. Illuminated red polymer staircase risers add an unexpected touch of interest. A 2‑story grazing detail at the mezzanine lights the original textured brick wall. Each of these lighting elements is designed to showcase the architectural features and eye-catching finishes.