Protective and eco-friendly as a turtle’s shell, the 2,400-square foot “green” roof that shields the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel from the sometimes-ghastly natural elements of the upper Midwest is just one way this new facility pays homage to the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indian’s legacy as land and energy conservationists. The 360,000-square foot Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, which opened in July 2008 in Williamsburg, Mich., features a six-story, contemporary-designed hotel and an extensive array of entertainment options with each component containing myriad LEED certification features.
Instead of demolishing the natural components of the site’s space to pave the way for a new building, architects from the Minneapolis-based firm Walsh Bishop Associates maintained the natural slope of the land and incorporated it into the architecture of the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel. Adjacent to the tribe’s aging existing casino facility, the new Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel seems to naturally emerge from its surroundings to welcome guests inside. “As guests arrive they view the facility from mid-level, and as they wind around the building, they get glimpses into the building’s restaurant, lounge and gaming areas,” says Keith O'Brien, vice president of entertainment and the Hospitality Group for Walsh Bishop Associates. “When the guests reach the main entry of the casino, they enter a dynamic plaza of water features, landscaping, lighting effects and a glass canopied porte cochere. The large plaza organizes the exterior with specially designed paths, planting and water areas based on an abstracted turtle shell pattern.”
This pattern, inspired by the Native American “turtle” creation story, takes clues from the local shoreline’s sloping surfaces to connect the surrounding landscape with the building. “Cut pathways were layered over and through the project to shape visitors’ experiences as they move from the outside in,” O’Brien notes. Clones of the national champion Norway Maple border the casino’s plaza entrance, reintroducing old-growth genetics into the ecosystem, another key component to the tribe’s sustainable goals.
Using glass for skylights and windows, the architecture and design connects the inside of the property to the landscape and the sky by reflecting the natural surroundings, while at the same time, conserving energy through the use of natural light. “These cuts are contrasted from the dark earthy building color with lighted and reflective patterned surfaces to enhance the dynamic and changing qualities within and around the facility,” O’Brien says.
Earth brown Riverside metal panels and a color-coordinated Sarnafil PVC membrane roof combine to form the exterior of the building. Additionally, brushed and polished patterned stainless steel panels cut into the exterior and provide a dynamic effect as guests enter the building.
As guests leave the beauty of the natural landscape behind and enter the hotel lobby, clean lines, modern décor and dramatic splashes of color set an energetic first impression. “The reception desk is an exceptional piece of millwork that has etched and backlit glass and an absolute black granite countertop,” describes O’Brien. “Oversized Sapelle wood panels inlayed with glass mosaic tile form a feature wall opposite the desk, and the floor is a stripped pattern of porcelain tile that alternates between sheens and colors as it progresses down the concourse. All of these linear lines are continued throughout the facility.”
For guests looking to try their luck on one of the industry’s newest slot machines, the 54,000-square foot gaming floor has 1,300 state-of-the-art options, many of which were chosen because of their low-energy consumption. Design wise, the bow tie shaped main gaming floor responds to the landscape and the form of the building. Fifty-foot high white sloping ceilings flank a massive 30-foot tall multicolored water wall composed of reflective dichroic resin, which divides the gaming floor into two separate spaces. Escalators along each side of the extraordinary water wall lead the eye to the Mid-Level Bar, Level 3 Lounge, Coffee Spoon, Ballroom, Native American Cultural Display and the 137-room hotel.
To capture and contrast seasonal qualities throughout the property, unique LCD lighting designs were placed in strategic spots and shift from cool blues, spring greens, warm reds and harvest yellows to provide an experience that is constantly engaging and constantly reflective of the four-season nature of northern Michigan.
After a night of gaming, entertainment and dining, an overnight oasis awaits guests inside the hotel tower. “The hotel rooms were meant to provide a respite from the activity of the gaming floor with a modern and clean approach,” O’Brien said. “Custom-designed wood and fabric headboards create a focal point for the room. The suites feature wood flooring and wood kitchenettes with marble countertops in the great rooms.”
All of these property elements bring together highly sophisticated and culturally significant design themes that evoke the tribe’s identity within the Michigan community. From the constantly changing nature of northern Michigan’s landscape to the watery elements that arise from Lake Michigan, each feature was painstakingly chosen to represent the tribe in a way that stays true to the natural surroundings and the environment.
Green Design
The Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel features an array of eco-friendly LEED practices throughout its architecture and design to achieve the sustainable goals of the owner and operators. Below are just a few of the ways the design team met the tribe's goals:
• Fly ash used in precast concrete and cast-in-place concrete mix to incorporate post-industrial recycled material
• Low-VOC paints and primers at interior spaces
• Straw-based particleboard used for casework core board
•Building insulation with post-industrial recycled content
• Vegetated roofing for improved building energy efficiency, storm water reduction and minimization of heat sink effect
• Gaming equipment was procured that had lower energy consumption than previous models
• Wood doors free of urea-formaldehyde
• Low E coated insulating glass with argon gas filled cavity for improved u-value and energy performance
• Mold and moisture-resistant gypsum shaft wall board
• Gypsum wallboard made with 100 percent recycled and unbleached paper facings bonded without adhesive; gypsum core consisting of recycled gypsum or post-industrial flu-gas desulphurization (FSG) synthetic gypsum
• Acoustical ceiling tile with recycled content
• Low-VOC finish and sealer at cork flooring
• Linoleum flooring containing rapidly renewable materials
• Steel products with high recycled content
Key Players
Owners/Operators: Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
Architect/Interior Designers: Walsh Bishop Associates Inc.
Contractors: PCL Construction
Structural Engineers: Ericksen & Roed Associates
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: KJWW Engineering
Krista Reiner is the Managing Editor of Casino Enterprise Management. She can be reached at (701) 293-7775 or editor1@aceme.org.
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