The Grand Lisboa is an extraordinary building designed for an exceptional context. Since the casino reforms of 2002 there has been an avalanche of new casino and hotel development in Macau as new operators, many from North America, establish operations in the city. These projects have largely been inspired by, and in some cases duplicate, established casino hotels in Las Vegas.
DLN’s client, Societe Jorges de Macau, has its roots in Macau where it is oldest casino hotel operator. Their instructions to DLN were to create a property that is absolutely original and that embodies the unique vitality and spirit of Macau. DLN’s design, which has become a landmark of Macau, is the response to the client’s commitment to produce an unprecedented and unique building.
The boldly sculpted Grand Lisboa is the antithesis of the ‘veneered box’ template that dominates contemporary casino development. The rich and sensual form of the tower embodies the daring and flamboyant exuberance of modern Macau.
An inspiration for the feathered form of the hotel superstructure was the exotic head dress of a Brazilian show girl’s carnival costume, itself a reflection of the Portuguese influence shared by Macau and South America. The plumes also evoke a blossoming Lotus flower, the official emblem of the Macau Special Administrative Region. Casino and Hotel Design
A grand public foyer occupies much of the ground floor and the whole frontage of the building. The foyer announces respectively the casino and hotel reception lobbies.
The 30,000m² of casino gaming area is arranged over three double height floors in the podium dome and a basement hall. The interior decoration scheme reflects the increasingly high stakes placed in on higher floors, progressing from slot machines in the basement to the VIP suites of ‘high rollers’ at the apex of the dome.
The gaming dome itself hovers, poised, above a six-metre glass wall and the dramatically cantilevered entrance portals of the Grand Foyer. At night the brilliant mosaic of the dome envelope, itself reminiscent of a Faberge egg, is animated by a programmable LED display that forms a vivid, changing and massive electric artwork.
