The Thompson LES Hotel features a glass and metal feature wall designed by Gratz Industries principal David Rosencrans along with architect and interior designer Gulla Jonisdottir of Dodd Mitchell Design. The glass vessels are strung like jeweled beads in a necklace that rises above the reception desk in the main lobby and intersect a stairway leading to the second floor lounge and waiting area for the hotel’s restaurant.
The glass shapes are clear, gray and black and vary in size and cadence creating a random yet measured rhythm which provide a sculptural element in hotel’s main entry corridor. The feature wall appears to change color and tonality throughout the day and evening as the ambient light shifts through the lobby glass windows.
The glass parts are separated by anodized aluminum spacers which punctuate the beaded glass parts which hang from the 3rd floor ceiling with one section anchored behind the reception desk and the other section of the wall is suspended above the lobby floor. The feature wall project was co-ordinated Rawlings Architects in New York City and the contractor was Pavlak Construction.
The glass and metal feature wall hardware and connectors were engineered by Nathan White of TriPyramid Structures. The sculpture is visible from the Allen Street side of the building and is best viewed from the second floor lounge and restaurant waiting area which is framed by the cascading glass vessels as they descend through the stairwell to the lobby below.
