UK – The BoTree London is a cool new-build hotel property and part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, located right in the heart of Marylebone, central London, combining all the individuality and style of boutique accommodation with the vibrance, colour and atmosphere of the bustling metropolis. It offers a welcoming, stimulating environment, perfect for those travelling for work, pleasure and adventure.
77 is a cosy and exclusive club and event space that is part of the hotel, described as “an intimate space where warmth, technology, and world-class music intertwine”. It’s slick and imaginative production design – encompassing lighting, audio, video, DJ setup, rigging and automation – was created and curated by Audiotek, with the lighting rig featuring Robe PAINTE Profiles and Tetra2 moving lights.
Headed by Frank Murray, Audiotek is acclaimed for its work in some of the most prestigious clubs worldwide over the last two decades, including Omnia and Hakkasan in Las Vegas – both of which also contain some Robe fixtures among other lights – and this is why they were approached to design an eye-catching and fabulous sounding technical set up for 77, allowing it to be anything from a discrete club experience to a dynamic multipurpose event venue.
Audiotek UK’s director Chris Kmiec explained that the client left the overall system design elements for the 700-capacity venue to them, but their brief was to evoke a truly international top-end club look and feel, something that combined the best aesthetics from contemporary Las Vegas, Miami and New York clubland, but that also offered something truly London in the mix.
The slightly asymmetric shape of the space was an anomaly they embraced, and one which helped inform the technology and the design. “It made things slightly more complicated, but it also added character,” explained Chris.
Having used different Robe fixtures on numerous previous designs, the Audiotek team were looking for LED lighting fixtures that were physically compact but as bright as possible, so they could be densely packed in the roof. Knowing that the room would also be used for fashion shows, product launches and general private events and parties, they also looked for flexibility.
Quality was also important, and they wanted “reliable and contemporary products that would not look dated after a couple of years,” leading them to PAINTES and Tetra2s, which “ticked all our boxes and more,” noted Chris.
He highlighted that a brand with strong local support was another must, and having dealt with Robe UK on multiple other occasions, they were happy to do so again.
The lights are rigged in the roof on custom frames, which are chemically fixed into the venue’s concrete ceiling, and these were fabricated as part of the package, together with video elements.
Serious discussions evolved around positioning of the DJ booth due to the asymmetrical shape on two axes, with a decision to put it at the shorter end of the room, so the technical design also had to accommodate the balcony void, but without compromising the overall look and height of the space.
It was the first time that Audiotek has used PAINTE Profiles or Tetra2s in one of their venue installations. Choosing PAINTES as a fixture that produces equally effective spot and wash beams and looks, it thereby reduces the amount of hardware needed for double the effect.
They were impressed by the PAINTE’s intensity and sharpness, and the number of features it offered, including static and rotating gobo wheels, full curtain framing shutters, prism and a very handy 8° – 48° zoom.
The Tetra2s were picked for their classy linear look and their versatility, and their ability to produce sheets and lines of light / pixel effects, twinkling and other eye candy. Their linearity perfectly fitted the architecture of 77, and some of them are rigged on motorised bars, which allows a more symmetrical lighting look to be produced if desired.
Frank and Chris completed all the conceptual technical design elements, Chris project managed the installation, James Bentham was their LD and the technical and systems designer was Ash Attwood.
Visual Zuuis the technical service provider running the venue’s production elements day-to-day, also supplying cool video content and lighting operatorsRobe helps bring Las Vegas to London at BoTree’s 77.
UK – The BoTree London is a cool new-build hotel property and part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, located right in the heart of Marylebone, central London, combining all the individuality and style of boutique accommodation with the vibrance, colour and atmosphere of the bustling metropolis. It offers a welcoming, stimulating environment, perfect for those travelling for work, pleasure and adventure.
77 is a cosy and exclusive club and event space that is part of the hotel, described as “an intimate space where warmth, technology, and world-class music intertwine”. It’s slick and imaginative production design – encompassing lighting, audio, video, DJ setup, rigging and automation – was created and curated by Audiotek, with the lighting rig featuring Robe PAINTE Profiles and Tetra2 moving lights.
Headed by Frank Murray, Audiotek is acclaimed for its work in some of the most prestigious clubs worldwide over the last two decades, including Omnia and Hakkasan in Las Vegas – both of which also contain some Robe fixtures among other lights – and this is why they were approached to design an eye-catching and fabulous sounding technical set up for 77, allowing it to be anything from a discrete club experience to a dynamic multipurpose event venue.
Audiotek UK’s director Chris Kmiec explained that the client left the overall system design elements for the 700-capacity venue to them, but their brief was to evoke a truly international top-end club look and feel, something that combined the best aesthetics from contemporary Las Vegas, Miami and New York clubland, but that also offered something truly London in the mix.
The slightly asymmetric shape of the space was an anomaly they embraced, and one which helped inform the technology and the design. “It made things slightly more complicated, but it also added character,” explained Chris.
Having used different Robe fixtures on numerous previous designs, the Audiotek team were looking for LED lighting fixtures that were physically compact but as bright as possible, so they could be densely packed in the roof. Knowing that the room would also be used for fashion shows, product launches and general private events and parties, they also looked for flexibility.
Quality was also important, and they wanted “reliable and contemporary products that would not look dated after a couple of years,” leading them to PAINTES and Tetra2s, which “ticked all our boxes and more,” noted Chris.
He highlighted that a brand with strong local support was another must, and having dealt with Robe UK on multiple other occasions, they were happy to do so again.
The lights are rigged in the roof on custom frames, which are chemically fixed into the venue’s concrete ceiling, and these were fabricated as part of the package, together with video elements.
Serious discussions evolved around positioning of the DJ booth due to the asymmetrical shape on two axes, with a decision to put it at the shorter end of the room, so the technical design also had to accommodate the balcony void, but without compromising the overall look and height of the space.
It was the first time that Audiotek has used PAINTE Profiles or Tetra2s in one of their venue installations. Choosing PAINTES as a fixture that produces equally effective spot and wash beams and looks, it thereby reduces the amount of hardware needed for double the effect.
They were impressed by the PAINTE’s intensity and sharpness, and the number of features it offered, including static and rotating gobo wheels, full curtain framing shutters, prism and a very handy 8° – 48° zoom.
The Tetra2s were picked for their classy linear look and their versatility, and their ability to produce sheets and lines of light / pixel effects, twinkling and other eye candy. Their linearity perfectly fitted the architecture of 77, and some of them are rigged on motorised bars, which allows a more symmetrical lighting look to be produced if desired.
Frank and Chris completed all the conceptual technical design elements, Chris project managed the installation, James Bentham was their LD and the technical and systems designer was Ash Attwood.
Visual Zuuis the technical service provider running the venue’s production elements day-to-day, also supplying cool video content and lighting operators.
Photos @ Tim “Tiki” Shapcott
