Winner: Caesars FORUM Convention Center by KGA

“Plug Into Life” is the biophilia-inspired concept which drives the interior design of the Caesars FORUM Convention Center.

Biophilia, the concept that nature in design provides health benefits to building users, was introduced to the project by the interior design team, inspired in part by the opportunities afforded by an abundance of natural light in the common areas of the facility. A biophilia-driven interior design was also proposed as the design team was mindful of the amount of time, particularly business-oriented time, that convention attendees will spend in the space. The design counterbalances convention-goers’ “plugged in” reality by providing a calm, centered, human feeling through the literal and abstracted use of natural elements.

Located just off the Las Vegas Strip and connected to several megaresorts via the LINQ retail promenade, the artifice and showmanship of the Las Vegas resort corridor is a key contextual driver. Where a biophilic design in a natural setting might be driven to be “one with nature” in a more literal sense, the Forum is conscious of its man-made environs. The biophilic concept, married to its setting, is translated into a series of abstractions which merge to create an engaging and elevating user experience.

Natural light washes overflowing forms, naturally derived materials, vibrant collaborative seating groups and live plants in the pre-function halls and board rooms. Each of the four ballrooms is abstractly inspired by one of the four seasons – winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Dynamic custom lighting and flooring elements throughout the design echo the sense of movement found in natural landscapes. Human comfort is never forgotten, with corridors that include seating niches built into the walls and accented by naturally inspired art and photography.

True to the facility’s name and reflective of the clients’ identity, echoes of the original Roman Forum reverberate through the design and layer on to the biophilic concept. Biophilia and antiquity find common ground in the use of marble stone elements, among other touches inspired by the architecture of ancient Roman gathering places. Further common ground can be found in that ancient Rome and the wonders of nature long pre-date the convention goers’ lives in our fast-paced, technologically-driven era, further humanizing the user by connecting to an age before digital communication.