Hilton Des Moines Downtown

DLR Group

Recognitions: Iowa Architect Spring 2019

Project Description

The new Hilton Des Moines Downtown is a full-service convention hotel located at the edge of downtown Des Moines’ Iowa Events Center (IEC). This 317,638 SF of new construction includes 330 guestrooms, public lobby, bar, and amenity spaces as well as 14,000 SF of new meeting space which includes a Ballroom, Meeting Rooms, and Pre-function spaces. DLR Group's design team used the building massing to emphasize the border of the existing IEC civic buildings, and rebrand the intersection at 5th and Park streets. Originally an introverted office building, the design incorporates a new transparent base that activates the urban street frontage and invites guests into its lobby and restaurant spaces. Large glass windows bathe the interior space in light, improving the overall feel of the space to enhance the guest experience. The guestroom tower above offers panoramic views of the downtown skyline and capitol building on the east horizon. The hotel’s exterior façade is highlighted by an extended roof structure, creating a lantern effect where guests can enjoy a “signature moment.” Designers utilizes textured panels, which, when cast with daylight or illuminated by the hotel’s lighting elements, evoke the look of wheat grain and call to mind Iowa’s agricultural history.