For Spain’s second-largest bank, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), designers built a full-size, 11,000-square-foot mockup of a bank lobby entirely out of foam that paved the way for changes in six branches from Barcelona to Atlanta (more are expected to be renovated this year). For the owner of the 93-restaurant chain Bertucci’s, Continuum designers studied the way millennials go out to eat, and designed a new eatery to have smaller plates in a more social setting. The new restaurant, 2ovens (in photo below) has appeared in two locations so far, with more arriving this year. The kitchens at 2ovens are equipped with only two handmade brick ovens that create a hearth-like atmosphere.
Continuum’s biggest project is its reimagination of the lobbies of 1,243 Holiday Inns, which resulted in a more social space where kids play video games on large-screen TVs, businesspeople check e-mail on kiosks near the bar, and vacationers socialize. As with the Spanish bank, Continuum built a foam model of its Holiday Inn lobby of the future, tested by everyone from general managers to chefs. At the first site where the design has been implemented, in Duluth, Ga., beverage sales rose 36 percent, while food revenue grew 25 percent. “The bar and food areas are intentionally more cramped than in other hotel lobbies,” says Craig LaRosa, Continuum’s design lead. He believes that if people bump against each other, it precipitates a friendly conversation among strangers, lightening the mood and encouraging guests to sit down for a drink.
The Continuum process is more akin to crowdsourcing than handing down a singular vision from a single gifted designer or workaholic CEO.
Photo Credit of 2Ovens
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