Des Moines Hilton

This full-service convention hotel is located in its city’s downtown and connects to the city’s skywalk system.  This 330,000 SF of new construction includes 330 guestrooms, 28 suites, public lobby, bar, and amenity spaces. The project also includes 14,000 SF of new meeting space which includes a ballroom, meeting rooms, a full-service kitchen; restaurant with outdoor seating; lobby with bar; tech lounge; swimming pool; and fitness center. It features a surface parking lot on the east along with 120 parking spaces below the building.

The exterior envelope is a 10” thick insulated CarbonCast Insulated Architectural Cladding (786 pieces total) that include 3” of integral continuous insulation. This composite wall panel system utilizes the C-GRID carbon fiber shear grid connector system and the insulated wall panels are supported from the CIP structure and post tension slabs.

The three exterior integral precast colors were selected with an acid etch finish exposing similar fine aggregates to create a consistent appearance between the white, grey, and charcoal colors.

The precast panels on the southeast corner of the hotel create a wave pattern in different planes. A series of uplights were recessed into alcoves which create a striking, artistic illuminating series of wash pattering on the panels at night. The simple, modern exterior materials and composition are inspired by the state’s agrarian landscape and are enhanced by the unique lighting elements.

The hotel was designed to celebrate both the agricultural and technological influences of the city. The hotel/convention center features windows that are arranged in a binary pattern to resemble barcodes, custom-designed, circuit board-inspired carpets and light fixtures that playfully mimic the appearance of wiring. As a nod to the city’s agricultural roots, the precast panels on the side of the hotel were inspired by wheat, and the windows and outside façade by corn and soybean rows. The overall aesthetic pulls colors from its agricultural surroundings.

In the initial building design there were 8 typical panel types. To reduce form costs, Enterprise Precast (which was brought on board early as a design build subcontractor) was able to get it down to 4 typical panel types. Through a combination of rotating them and strategically placing them, they were able to avoid a symmetrical appearance from the outside.

Enterprise Precast collaborated with the design team, contractors, and trade partners to produce a cost-efficient design from panel layout optimization, efficient load paths, detail assistance, as well as envelope coordination.