Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/101127
Welcome to your new WAC Lobby Remodel to provide grand sense of arrival Written By DARRICK MENEKEN RENDERINGS By Margaret Thomas Y ou���re about to witness WAC history. During the first few days of 2013, a significant remodel of the Club lobby will begin. Construction crews will move in, hammers will be drawn, carpets will be stripped, and the future face of the WAC will be one step closer. When the remodel���dubbed the Gateway Project��� wraps up, a more inviting lobby will welcome members and guests. ���We���re looking to create an atmosphere that provides a grand sense of arrival,��� says WAC Vice President Operations Bill Cohen. The trick, he says, is balancing history and modern styling. A similar accomplishment took place 10 floors above the lobby with the Inn remodel. If you���ve seen the success of that project, Bill says, you get an idea of what we���re trying to accomplish. Another important consideration involves balancing the lobby���s role of main entry with its tendency to serve 16 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | JANUARY 2013 as a social gathering hub. New seating areas will emerge, and members will find the lobby a more inviting place to engage and socialize. ���One of the things we���ve heard from members is that they want to hang out in the lobby more,��� President & CEO Chuck Nelson says. ���They want it to be a place they can linger and enjoy themselves.��� It���s also the room that forms almost all first impressions of the WAC. ���This space sets the table for everything else inside the Club,��� Membership & Marketing Vice President Michelle Pinson says. Project interior designer Margaret Thomas has taken the Club���s input and put it to paper. ���In a sense, we���re unveiling a lobby that���s always been there,��� she says. ���We���re creating a heightened sense of entry and balancing the contemporary with tradition.���