Casino Enterprise Management

Palace Casino Resort employees, patrons and Biloxi, Miss., residents had good reason to celebrate during the property’s grand opening festivities Nov. 11, 2011. The opening of the final phase of the 110,000-square-foot, $53 million renovation marked the complete comeback of the resort after its dockside casino was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“This project represents the resurgence and reinvestment of the resort market in Biloxi,” said Tom Hoskens, AIA, NCARB, LEED® AP, principal at Cuningham Group Architecture, P.A. (Cuningham Group).

The project is one of the largest casino expansions on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina.

Cuningham Group has collaborated with Palace Casino Resort to renovate, remodel and add on to its casino resort property since 1998. The firm designed many of the gaming, nightclub and restaurant environments within the pre-Katrina casino and worked with Palace to design a temporary casino facility, making it one of the first casinos to come back into operation after the devastation.

On Dec. 30, 2005, Palace Casino Resort reopened its casino, along with a buffet and the resort’s fine dining restaurant. Since then, Hoskens said, the plan was to expand and renovate the property into a premier resort—a goal achieved on Nov. 11.

Planning, Process and Timeline
The new addition to Palace was conceptualized and planned through a series of visioning sessions with the owner and the design team.

“Cuningham Group believes strongly in a collaborative design process,” Hoskens said. “We worked with the owner and the owner’s management staff during the design process to first get the vision from the owner and the operational details from the management staff.”

The construction schedule was phased to avoid interruption of normal operation and to minimize disruption for the guests. The multiple phases of construction took 19 months. Increased standards due to the FEMA Hurricane Guidelines that now apply to Biloxi coastal areas were also implemented for the project.

Construction began in spring 2010, and the new and renovated spaces opened in three phases. The new buffet opened April 18, 2011. The new gaming floor, lounge/sports bar, cafe and grill opened June 14, 2011. The hotel lobby, atrium, spa, fitness center, gift shop, meeting rooms, Mignon’s Lounge and high-limit gaming area opened to the public during the grand opening.

Design Elements and Inspiration
The new space was designed to have a clear sense of orientation, with the surrounding amenities viewable from the gaming floor. Long vistas that draw guests along a path were intentional and build excitement, as each venue can be accessed while moving­ from the lobby entrance to the culmination of the experience at the sports bar overlooking the marina.

“Like a yacht that is sleek, clean and efficient on the outside while having unique design surprises on the inside, the design of Palace Casino Resort provides guests with surprises to explore and enjoy,” said Yongkoo Lee, Cuningham Group’s lead designer for the project.

The property is located on the water in the back bay of Biloxi. It has great visual prominence from the elevated Biloxi-Ocean Springs Bridge. The project is also located along a main city street where guests and commuters have an excellent view of the property. The resort’s marina, along with Wahoo’s Poolside Bar and Grill, is an active stopping point for boaters—the use of marine metaphors in the design is a natural choice given the location.

“The goal from the outset of the project was to expand and reposition Palace as a welcoming, state-of-the-art facility that will rejuvenate an existing gaming environment, energize current clientele and attract a new generation of players,” Hoskens said.

Cuningham Group looked to existing resort imagery and the Gulf Coast’s recreational spirit, including boating, yachting and white sand beaches, for the exterior design inspirations. A seamless connection was created between the architecture, appearance and function of the existing spaces and the new building to transform Palace Casino Resort into a new and modern resort.

“Palace wanted to rid itself of the old and dated theme that was created years ago but also wanted the new addition to the building to look like it fit in and was an extension of the existing,” Lee said.

Designers chose materials that are traditional, yet modern, mixing metals, woods, stone and glass with a contemporary color palette of grays, golden yellows, rich reds and vibrant blues. In addition, rhythmic elements throughout the space frame views to the resort’s multiple dining and entertainment venues, while layers of light and clusters of glimmering backlit acrylic help to create architectural interest.

The interior of the resort experience starts with the opulently appointed two-story atrium that serves as the hotel lobby as well as the introduction to the gaming floor. The new atrium has a plush atmosphere of dark wood and stone materials. A feature wall and grand staircase are focal points that draw guests up to explore the new gaming floor and meeting rooms on the expanded second level.

The spacious new 40,000-square-foot gaming floor is at the center of the second-floor expansion and features 1,100 slot machines and 26 table games, including a high-limit salon. The gaming floor ceiling elements add movement by undulating up and down. Embracing light fixtures are the major design element of the gaming floor. It sets up a rhythm and excitement to the gaming floor, Hoskens said. When air circulates through the space, the light fixtures faintly move, as if twinkling.

Cuningham Group intentionally designed the resort’s three new restaurants and lounge to surround the gaming floor, making them visible and easily accessible. The  buffet provides a spacious, modern atmosphere with live cooking stations and interactive options.

At the farthest end of the gaming floor (the culmination) is Contact Lounge & Sports Bar. The upscale venue features 165 seats, a video poker bar, high-definition and projection TVs, and a stage for live entertainment and other casino events. The owner wanted partial visibility from the gaming floor to the sports bar. Designers kept it visible yet separate using an illuminated feature wall.

“In this space, guests can experience the excitement of all the elements that surround the resort, including a picturesque view of the bridge from Biloxi to Ocean Springs,” Hoskens said.

Philosophies
As one of the largest and newest post-Katrina resort projects, the exterior and interior design is “fresh and represents a unique marriage between new design concepts and an existing favorite” Hoskens noted.

The Palace Casino Resort engages the water and surrounding environment in the resort itself. The building engages the water with its pool, marina, a restaurant patio toward the water and a hotel that offers views out to the water from certain amenity elements.

“While other resorts turn their back on the water, Palace takes advantage of the largest amenity the region has to offer,” Hoskens said.

The fresh new accommodations designed by Cuningham Group also helped to inspire Palace Casino Resort to designate the casino, hotel lobby, restaurants and lounge/sports bar as smoke-free, creating a healthier, cleaner environment for everyone.

Cuningham Group used recycled and recyclable materials and regionally sourced products whenever possible, as they do with all projects.

Most importantly on this project, Palace chose to implement a new central plant for the resort. Being on site, the central plant uses fewer resources to feed the whole property. The central plant reinforces the owner’s vision of a long-term sustainable and expandable vascular support for the property’s HVAC systems. The choice of a chilled water central plant gives the owner a highly efficient heating and cooling system.

Designing a conscious space that encompasses the spirit of the city led back to a simple design philosophy that Cuningham Group promotes—Every Building Tells A Story™.

“A fundamental component of storytelling is the use of metaphors,” Hoskens said. “Cuningham Group collaborates with clients to understand their vision and the story they want to tell.”

At Palace, this meant capitalizing on the Gulf Coast setting and providing a modern scheme to create a welcoming, state-of-the-art facility that tells the story of the Gulf Coast’s resilience and Palace Casino Resort’s triumphant return.

KEY PLAYERS
Owner/Operator: Palace Casino Resort
Architect & Interior Designer: Cuningham Group Architecture, P.A.
Contractor: Killian Construction Co.
Structural Engineer: Reigstad & Associates Inc.
Civil Engineering: Brown & Mitchell Inc.
Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Engineer & Architectural Lighting: X-nth Inc.
Kitchen Consultant: Robert Rippe & Associates Inc.
A/V Consultant: X-nth Inc. & Technomedia Solutions LLC
Code Consultant: Arup Fire
Hardware Consultant: Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies


Anna G. Larson is an Associate Editor for Casino Enterprise Management. She can be reached at (701) 293-7775 or editor6[at]aceme.org.