Description of Project:
The original project at the Ritz Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation
was Gaby's, the heavy timber restaurant down by Lake Oconee. It was
designed as a casual dining experience with an open view bar that could
be enclosed in inclement weather with huge sliding doors. The main
dining area wrapped around a central post that was 14" x 14" and
anchored the huge radius with an upper clerestory for ventilation. A
huge fireplace was the natural gathering spot.
Behind the disappearing edge pool, there are two heavy timber trellises
to allow escape from the direct sun, one with a large hot tub in the
center. Between the trellises, we have since added a hip roof
timberframe pavilion for a pool bar.
Other projects for the Ritz Carlton include: The heavy timber posts and
curved braces in the interior ballroom of the hotel and the timberframe
roof system for the nature center.
The Customer:
Reynolds Plantation was developed by Mercer Reynolds of Cincinnati,
Ohio. He saw an opportunity for a showcase golf club, hotel, gated
community and recreation area that was close to Atlanta and close to
Augusta...... home of the prestigious Masters Golf Tournament. The
original construction was supervised by Doug Welles from Boca Raton,
FL. Doug has been handling high end projects like this for years and we
subsequently worked with him at the Bay Creek Golf Club project in Cape
Charles, VA.
How did they find Hearthstone?
Doug Welles attended a trade show in Atlanta where I exhibited after he
knew that the architect (Beck Architecture from Cincinanti) wanted to
use a lot of natural materials and heavy timber in the project.
Why did they buy from Hearthstone?
After our initial meetings to get an idea of the scope of the project,
I saw that the mixture of timber and stone in the restaurant could be
greatly enhanced by incorporating our WeatherAged texture. After
setting up a meeting with the builder and the architect, I surprised
them with photographs and samples of the WeatherAged timbers stained in
various colors to imply "rustic and masculine, but not
unsophisticated". It was exactly what the project demanded. New
materials that could be graded and pass engineering review, but looked
like they came from an old barn.
Process, pre-construction, design, delivery, etc.
We took the basic idea of the look and shape to design a working frame
that met the aesthetic needs and the structural needs of the
restaurant. The multiple beams going into a central post in the radius
dining area was challenging but we managed to come up with acceptable
joinery and ideas that would make the project stand out. Huge curved
braces were fashioned in the "gunstock" style to imply strength and
stability. Delivery was a challenge because the site was very limited
with the hotel on one side and the lake on the other. We unloaded on
the side of a hill and slowly moved the timbers to the crane for
erection. Special base plates held the timbers down to the slab because
an open pavilion is susceptible to high winds blowing across an open
body of water, not to mention thunderstorms. The base plates also
elevated the heavy timbers above the delicate sandstone finish deck,
which could never support the weight without cracking the sandstone.
Interesting information:
The Ritz Carlton Lodge was used a few times by former President George
W. Bush for political rallies and fundraisers during his re-election
campaign. Due to the rural location, the President always flew into a
small local airport in a GulfStream. The hotel is always packed during
the Masters Golf Tournament because it is the only "world class" hotel
and restaurant facility that is close enough to handle the type of
client that attends the Masters.
Interior Finishes.
Doug Welles had hired a guy that was previously in the motion picture
industry, designing and building movie sets. The stains and finishes
were applied to get the most realistic effect from the different
textures of wood and stone. The restaurant was stained a natural grey
with the roof decking stained in a light brown for contrast that
blended.
Exterior Finishes.
Roof systems used cedar shingles which were left natural to weather.
The gable ends also used cedar shingles, but these were stained to
match the decking so that you would see the tie-in as you moved from
exterior to interior areas. Exterior trim was painted an off-white to
outline the roofs. Stonework was incorporated into all areas. The high
end landscaping was designed and installed by HighGrove Partners of
Atlanta and we have since done other projects with this firm.
What would they have done differently?
Make it larger. Six years later, the restaurant proved to be so popular
that the Ritz was forced to triple it's size. We designed, integrated,
precut, and erected an addition that looked like the original and had
extra touches in the transition.
Quotes:
Restaurant employees say that the customers are always "impressed
and amazed at the building" and that "Gaby's is their favorite place at
the hotel".