ISPA Conference & Expo
ISPA Conference & Expo
ISPA Conference & Expo

Interview

Dana Kalczak

Four Seasons’ vice president of design talks to Neena Dhillon about reaching new heights in Philadelphia, working with Norman Foster and innovations in guest experience


While Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is accustomed to opening landmark properties, its newest offering in Philadelphia represents several firsts. For starters, the 342m-high vertiginous tower redefines the skyline, its sleek silhouette taking the prize for the city’s tallest building.

The Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia occupies the top 12 floors of the new Comcast Technology Center, and is one of the highest hotels in North America, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant and cocktail bar affording the best views in town. And then there’s the unusual design approach. While owners Comcast and Liberty Property Trust brought Foster + Partners onboard to design the tower itself, the award-winning British firm has also fulfilled design for the hotel interiors, its reach extending from façade to furniture.

This is not typical for Four Seasons, as Dana Kalczak, vice-president, design explains. “Usually, we like to take advantage of the tension created between architecture and design, appointing different talent for each,” she says.

“Through experience, we’ve found this push and pull makes for the best results. But Brian Roberts [Comcast’s chairman and CEO] came to us with the vision of aesthetic consistency between exterior and interior. It’s rare for us to agree to this but we’ve been blown away by the talent of Foster + Partners. It’s hard to bang heads when you’re working with genius.”

Collaborative effort
With design oversight across all new build and renovation projects at Four Seasons, Kalczak’s role in matching world-class architects and designers to the luxury group’s developments is vital. But in her 21 years with Four Seasons, she’s never witnessed anything quite like this project before.

“I knew we were working with the best architects in the world but the level of thought poured into every detail by Norman Foster’s team has been something to behold,” she says. “You could describe it as highly engineered architecture. They are masters in spatial design, they understand how to get relationships between intersectional spaces right, and they’re detail driven when it comes to conceiving the smallest element of bespoke furniture. They can be single-minded in the pursuit of perfection. And they put the user at the core of all their decision-making processes.”

This is not to say that one company defines Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia. From Comcast has come the clear and integral vision for a high touch, high tech product – and one that embraces the future. Kalczak’s team has worked with Foster’s to shape that human-centric guest experience, intervening with a light touch where necessary to advise on operational aspects and functionality.

On the ground floor, where connectivity to the local community is key, Tihany Design were appointed for their restaurant expertise, envisioning the lively, inviting surroundings of Vernick Fish. Floral designer to the stars Jeff Leatham has injected beauty while Brian Eno was approached to create an onscreen video-soundscape for guest rooms and Tokyo-based teamLab to produce a digital art installation for the hotel lobby.

The art of technology
“Within the architectural statement of the building, we have beautiful monumental public areas in which visually stimulating interior spaces provide sanctuary and convivial interactions,” says Kalczak. “As a component of this virtuoso design, there’s a thread of technology that weaves its way through the hotel, sometimes visible, at other times behind the scenes. The building is chock-a-block with hidden technologies; take the system we’ve developed with Lutron to control window treatments and lighting scenarios from the bed, affording guests full mastery of their rooms. We also explore the possibilities of digital art and animation in rooms, elevators and lobby. Comcast has been fully supportive of this endeavour – hotel art is no longer confined to canvas and frame.”

Of all the achievements in the hotel, it is perhaps the reflective ceiling panels in the Jean-Georges Philadelphia restaurant on the 59th floor that stand out. Kalczak describes a process of thorough review and approval by Foster to engineer the custom-built kaleidoscopic panels, designed to not only capture views of the dining room but also angled glimpses of the city below while housing necessary systems such as acoustics, lighting, air supply and fire detection. But surely everything can’t have gone so smoothly?

“There was no throwing down of architectural capes, if that’s what you’re asking,” laughs Kalczak. “Money and time are always challenges but we were supported by generous budgets to achieve the right results without compromise and with few bumps in the road.” She does concede that her team imparted guidance to Foster + Partners about the manufacture of furniture suited to a hotel rollout, matching the beauty of form with the nitty-gritty realities of function in high-traffic spaces. Rigorous testing of model rooms helped.

On the manufacturing side, they opted to work with Four Seasons’ preferred suppliers of Louis Interiors and ArtCo. And while her team had initial reservations about the interiors feeling too spare or intimidating, together the partners were able to achieve a harmonious balance between the spare and monumental, layering and comfort. It has been a happy experience, says Kalczak and they will work together on undisclosed Four Seasons locations to come.

Evolving guest experience
Since she began working in hotel design, Kalczak has noted several sea changes with the formulaic and formal giving way to interactive, transformative spaces. Today, immediacy and empowerment are two pressing guest concerns and to meet this evolution, the design team at Four Seasons brainstorms ideas in a Toronto-based Research & Discovery Studio.

Out of this work, her team has dissolved major physical barriers around concierge and reception desks, facilitating speedy interactions between staff and guests. Coffee and cocktail bars are being introduced in lobbies to achieve “lively, energised spaces that welcome arriving visitors with the sound of convivial conversations, music and clinking of glasses.” Panoramic glass elevators, such as those in Philadelphia, provide visual connections to surrounding cityscapes. In guest rooms, traditional desks are being replaced with Activity Tables with supporting consoles offering multiple device connectivity. At present, Kalczak and her team are testing out a ‘wallpaper television’ thinner than a magazine and looking into equipping MyBars with filtered water taps and refillable bottles. As more people become design literate, it’s essential Four Seasons stays on top of its game.

With up to 50 projects under planning or in development, Kalczak invests much time and effort in findings designers and architects with the right talent and track record. If a project has an experienced developer attached to it, she is more likely to take risks with an emerging hotel designer. Her team is always on the hunt for rising talent, looking beyond hospitality. As an example, she spotted Meyer Davis’s residential work some years ago in a magazine and has since appointed the New York studio for large-scale renovations of a handful of resorts. Forthcoming Meyer Davis designs will be seen in new resorts in both Cabo San Lucas and Belize.

The design language of Paris-based Gilles and Boissier, meanwhile, will enliven a collection of heritage buildings framed by Mount Etna in Sicily’s Taormina, currently being transformed into a Four Seasons. In Dubai, another property is on the rise, with architecture by Daniel Libeskind and interiors by Tristan Auer. “We don’t choose tried-and-tested designers simply for expediency or ease, rather we’ll go to extreme lengths to get the right firm hired,” says Kalczak.

As she celebrates 30 years in design and architecture, Kalczak is pleased to see more women. “I used to be the only woman at construction site meetings; today I’m one of many,” she says. “It gives me great hope. There are more women not only in interior design but also working as architects, engineers and project managers. Smart, creative and committed, they should be encouraged and mentored to success. I try to do that every day with my own team and women who come into my orbit.”

The Foster perspective

“The tower itself has been a feat of engineering; the tallest in North America outside Chicago and New York. Its core is offset and supported by triangulated bracing, allowing for flexible and dynamic floor spaces at all levels,” explains Nigel Dancey, senior executive partner – head of studio at Foster + Partners.

Speaking of Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia’s interiors, he says: “At every level, the city is on display, whether reflected in the unique pyramidical mirrored ceiling in the sky high restaurant or overlooked by the spectacular infinity-edged swimming pool. Every room has full-height glazing providing panoramic views out across the city from multiple aspects including the bathtub.

“Where guests arrive at the hotel’s dedicated west entrance, a specially commissioned artwork by Jenny Holzer spans the lobby ceiling, delivering 17 hours of continuous content that includes words by Philadelphia-based writers and schoolchildren.” The working relationship with Dana Kalczak’s team was a true collaboration, says Dancey, with both partners challenged by a constant dialogue with Comcast, whose expectations and operational requirements facilitated an ongoing exchange of ideas.

“The overall result is a design intent able to shine while remaining highly functional,” Dancey adds.

Flower power

With the Kardashians, royalty, presidents and pop stars as clients, Jeff Leatham pushes the frontiers of modern floral design.

Having first worked for Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills as an assistant floral designer in 1994, he cemented his relationship with the company five years later when he was appointed artistic director at Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris. Today that role extends to Philadelphia where his dramatic floral displays are proving to be an essential balancing force, according to Dana Kalczak.

“If we had focused entirely on high tech in the new hotel, the artistry we usually strive for would have been compromised,” she says. “Instead Jeff’s flowers bring beauty to the monumental spaces of Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, creating a marriage made in heaven. Jeff is a true artist: he thinks about the emotions that each treatment should elicit and asks what each building needs. The inspiration comes from within.”

Leatham has taken the role of artistic director at the hotel, overseeing floral arrangements
Gallery
Click on an image to open the image gallery
company profile
Company profile: The Wellness
Based in Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore, The Wellness are the next generation of wellness consultants providing spa, fitness, hydro engineering and leisure related concepts for the global Wellness markets.
Try cladmag for free!
Sign up with CLAD to receive our regular ezine, instant news alerts, free digital subscriptions to CLADweek, CLADmag and CLADbook and to request a free sample of the next issue of CLADmag.
sign up
features
Natural History Museum of Utah by Todd Schliemann
"We want this museum to be modern while at the same time referencing China’s strong history in astronomy"

Ennead partner Thomas Wong tells us how he looked to the skies for inspiration for the winning Shanghai Planetarium design

Chad Oppenheim founded Oppenheim Architecture in 1999. He has offices in Miami, Basel and New York
"The idea of selling a better lifestyle has been rooted in everything that has happened in Miami over the past 80 to 100 years. Chad Oppenheim"

It’s always been a city with a big personality and the new projects taking shape in Miami are as bold and ambitious as ever. Alice Davis investigates

Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
To advertise in our catalogue gallery: call +44(0)1462 431385
features
The China Central Television HQ in Beijing is one of Scheeren’s best-known buildings
According to Ole Scheeren, the best buildings are the ones that tell us stories
"Economic value can be achieved by a sense of generosity towards the public domain"

The architect behind Beijing’s CCTV Headquarters and the Taipei Performing Arts Center talks form, fiction and fantasy with Kim Megson

The design features raised walkways to protect the jungle floor
Heather Henninger (left) and Nathan Stevenson (right)
"Our goal is to be one of the largest dedicated green wellness communities in the world"

A new green wellness community for Mexico

features
Kravitz and Starck worked on the project
"A cheeky interpretation of luxury hospitality"

Collaborate on the W Las Vegas

The main auditorium
Ben van Berkel
"Making buildings more healthy is definitely the future"

UNStudio’s Ben van Berkel shares what he’s learned from projects including the Mercedes- Benz Museum and the Theatre de Stoep

The team worked eight hour days with 40 per cent oxygen during the four month windows the mountain allowed
"Heat and oxygen levels are adjusted by sensors in response to the number of people inside and their body temperature"

Designing a climbers’ refuge on Mont Blanc was anything but straightforward, but for Groupe H’s Nikolai Bersenev the challenges were what made the project so memorable

cladkit product news
Koto Design introduces wood-fired hot tub
Koto is known for crafting modular, energy-neutral cabins and homes
Katie Barnes
A striking wood-fired hot tub has been unveiled by Koto, an architecture and design studio which has a passion for ...
Siminetti unveils iridescent decorative panelling range inspired by plants
The Clematis design
Megan Whitby
The Botanicals is Siminetti’s newest Mother of Pearl decorative panelling collection, inspired by the distinctive patterns found in botany and ...
Eco Resort Network conference to convene in Mauritius this May
The event will be hosted in the Mauritius in 2024
Megan Whitby
Hospitality industry event Eco Resort Network is set to take place at the Ravenala Attitude Hotel, Turtle Bay, Mauritius, from ...
cladkit product news
Mather & Co and ITV unite to create Coronation Street Experience
Mather & Co has transformed the visitor centre into the ultimate haven for ardent Coronation Street viewers
Magali Robathan
Experience designers, Mather & Co, have orchestrated a remarkable collaboration with ITV to unveil the new Coronation Street Experience, a ...
Eden project uses drones to spell out climate change warning
Magali Robathan
Almost 300 drones were used to signal an environmental message above the Eden Project’s biomes, during the UN Climate Change ...
Alberto Apostoli and Newform collaborate to launch the A.Zeta showerhead
The showerhead offers two modes; rainfall or waterfall
Megan Whitby
Italian architect Alberto Apostoli has renewed his partnership with Newform – an Italian wellness company – and designed A.Zeta. A.Zeta ...
cladkit product news
Jaffe Holden helps bring Academy Museum of Motion Pictures alive
Jaffe Holden provided architectural acoustics for the Academy Museum
Magali Robathan
Acoustical consulting firm Jaffe Holden provided architectural acoustics and audio/video design services for the recently opened Academy Museum of Motion ...
Codelocks develops new glass door smart lock
The new lock model allows facilities and building managers to create and manage access via an app or online portal
Megan Whitby
Codelocks has launched its first glass door smart lock to bring intelligent access control to modern spa, leisure, fitness and ...
Alberto Apostoli designs tech-forward Wellness Therapy furniture collection for Varaschin
The furniture collection draws on absolute geometries, pure lines, neutral colours and strong references to nature
Megan Whitby
Furniture manufacturer Varaschin has unveiled the new Wellness Therapy range, designed by Italian spa and wellness architect and designer Alberto ...
ISPA Conference & Expo
ISPA Conference & Expo