Extensive renovation of all the public spaces in the building included all new finishes in the main lobby, corridors and lobbies on all tenant floors, the elevator cabs and public restrooms. The main lobby presented a challenge to the design team of Bass Architects Chartered with Nora Fischer Designs, Inc. The Office Building directly abuts the elegant Watergate hotel and each facility uses the other's lobby for common access. A degree of transparency between them was sought. At the same time however, it was the aim of the design team to create a visual focus for this area via the use of a textured surface which would add some interest to a previously unadorned wall. Laminated glass, with a "sandblasted" pattern was selected for this purpose. The pattern is based on the subdivision of a square and a rotated square which is subdivided at the midpoint. The success of this material can be seen where the patterned laminated glass takes on a wonderful aura of gauzy transparency.
