Elliott + Associates Architects

UNDERGROUND, OKLAHOMA CITY

Annie Block -- Interior Design, 12/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Leave it to an Interior Design Hall of Fame member to take a mile of utilitarian underground passageway, 42,000 square feet in total, and turn it into a spectacular light sculpture. That's what Rand Elliott did with the Underground, a system of tunnels connecting 23 downtown buildings. Mostly built between 1972 and 1984, the system had fallen into disrepair, with tattered carpet and an unappealing color scheme. Elliott achieved his magic via a combination of gelled fluorescent lights, vinyl signage, music, and history-themed galleries. As he puts it, “We transformed the space from a dark, dated maze to walkable entertainment.”

Perkins + Will

PROJECT 1 Adams Place, Boston.

STANDOUT A monumental grille of stainless-steel frames and acrylic panels is the centerpiece of this office building's five-story atrium.

Jeffrey Beers International

PROJECT Cove Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas.

STANDOUT Nature and architecture harmonize in a lobby featuring 35-foot-high limestone columns and 25-foot-long copper pendant fixtures.

Carrier Johnson

PROJECT DiamondView Tower, San Diego.

STANDOUT Supersize baseball images back glass panels in the lobby of this office building attached to a Major League Baseball stadium.