The first impression is strong and indelible. You have arrived! The Ritz Carlton hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico is a crown jewel. Famous worldwide for the excellent service provided by its friendly staff as well as its fabulous food and extensive wine list. Appropriately, the lighting and landscape designs give your arrival the proper sense of occasion. Everything sparkles, from the crisp white uniforms of the bellmen, to the marble floor. The atmosphere is electric. Each facet of the hotel mirrors the brilliant parade of illuminated palms that extends like welcoming arms from the grand entrance gates, past the custom sculpted fountain, into the heart of the hotel. Everything is beautiful and every design detail works.

Two LVCBS composite bullets with MR16 low-voltage lamps are mounted to a trellis and aimed at the small planter, complimenting this architectural feature and creating an inviting space.

However, time and budget constraints had prevented the hotel from implementing every detail of the original plan. In a story that is all too familiar, planting plans were pruned and the lighting design was greatly diminished. Although attractive and tasteful, it was clear that improvements in the original installation were possible. In the hotel business image is everything. When hurricane damage made renovation a necessity, the ball really started rolling. Mike Villanueva, Director of Engineering, was charged with the responsibility of bringing the property back up to the high standards of Ritz-Carlton. His secondary goal was to develop a "fun" atmosphere. To accomplish both, he decided to dust off the original master plan and call upon the design talents of Keith Morrow, now with Wilson-Miller in Naples, Florida. Both Keith and Mike possess an interest in and knowledge of landscape illumination that is well above average. And as a result of the teamwork between designer and client, the four-year-old hotel now exudes the charm and grace of a classic, grand hotel of yesteryear that is complete with a lighting system that is the envy of its rivals.

Through the use of light and insightful planting, the Ritz-Carlton is a delight at night. Inviting enclaves around the pool are illuminated to subtle levels. Corrosion-proof composite bullet fixtures, mounted high in the palms provide the "Moonlight". Both metal halide and mercury vapor lamps are used as sources, depending upon the color required for the setting. Other composite bullets, containing lamps with specific beam spreads and wattages, accent the abundant art collection displayed throughout the property. Spill light and glare are nonexistent due to functional shields, accurate aiming, and precise optics. In other locations corrosion-proof inground uplights turn individual trees and architectural features into works of art themselves. Eucalyptus trees intended to screen the parking garage from view are transformed into kinetic light sculptures by each tropical breeze thanks to strategically placed uplights. Even custom stop signs benefit from inground illumination. At every turn the lighting says, stop, look, and enjoy the beauty.

Based on many positive experiences using their composite products in harsh environments, Keith specified corrosion-proof CBM and CBS bullets from LSI Greenlee Lighting for both uplighting and downlighting. He chose their small, unobtrusive MDB fixture whenever a rugged inground unit was required. Since Mike had worked with Greenlee products at two Ritz-Carlton hotels in Hawaii and was aware that they had been installed at six other Ritz-Carlton locations worldwide, he had absolutely no problem approving the selection.

Although Greenlee fixtures were used exclusively on the project, a wide variety of lamps were specified. Plant, lamp, and fixture palettes were selected to perfection. Throughout the design various light sources are used to enhance color that is already there, rather than inject new color into the landscape. Due to their crisp warm color, Keith selected Philips Master Color metal halide lamps to accent the building and illuminate the outdoor dining patio as well as other spaces where guests interact. Their high color rendering capabilities led Keith to use Master Color lamps in both uplights and downlights. Mockups were conducted with the assistance of Glenn International, the local Greenlee representative, to decide the best method of illuminating critical features. It was determined that Osram-Sylvania AR-111 low-voltage, spot lamps were the proper tools to highlight lion sculptures/fountains that surround the pool and echo the Ritz-Carlton logo. Mercury vapor lamps are used to pull the viewer's eye to the edge of the designed space and establish a border. Pools of mercury vapor are also used along paths to connect separate scenes and provide illumination for pedestrian traffic. "Moonlight" has seldom been used more magically to provide beauty, improve safety, and enhance security. This carefully orchestrated composition provides the entire property with an incredible sense of depth and texture. Lacy ferns and jagged fronds cast fanciful shadows as counterpoints to the linear vertical element provided by uplights on the trunks. Each scene causes a fresh sense of wonder as one strolls around the grounds. Grand perspectives and expansive vistas match the proportions of the hotel. However, intimate settings abound as a result of plant groupings that shield guests from one another. No detail was too small to escape the attention of either Keith or Mike.

Keith solved their biggest design challenge, the casino entrance, with well thought out tactics. After driving through the grand entry, visitors must make a turn to the right to reach the casino. Signage and light levels have to be bright enough to attract attention and please the casino manager. However, they can not be allowed to detract from the elegant impression created by the hotel entrance. Palms were strategically placed to provide uninterrupted sight lines from the airport, the main entrance, and the adjacent roadway. Others were placed to buffer hotel guests from the casino's operations. Light levels on the trees match those of the hotel. However, less dense plantings allow more uplight to reach the casino's entry facade and reflect back into the space, which results in a higher ambient light level

Mike and his support team at the Ritz-Carlton are committed to quality. They want each guest to have a truly unique and memorable experience. To accomplish these goals they zealously maintain the landscape with an eye toward pruning unwanted growth that diminishes the impact of the lighting system. And they have plans in place to protect the hotel's investment. Fixtures are cleaned and maintained on a regular basis so that each night looks like opening night. And as you can see from the accompanying photographs, even more lights come out when it is Christmas time.

Projects like this are the dream of many Landscape Architects. Just reciting the common names like Flamboyante and Bougainvillea can conjure up visions of an exotic tropical paradise. However, in the real world, it is the incredibly successful result, along with the image created for the satisfied client, that proves Landscape Architects and landscape illumination should always go hand in hand. LASN

The author is Lloyd R. Reeder.

Lloyd is Chair of the IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) Landscape Lighting Committee as well as Vice President of Sales for Greenlee Lighting. He has been in the lighting industry for seventeen years and is well known to ASLA annual meeting attendees. Lloyd hasn’t missed an annual convention since Phoenix in 1984. He also took the nighttime photos that accompany the article.