Architecture Archives - David Marquardt Architectural Photography

Caesars Forum

August 25, 2020/in Architecture, Convention, Hospitality, Interior Design/by David Marquardt

After having been commissioned to come in and snap some construction photos of Caesars’ new convention space, Caesars Forum, we had the privilege of shooting the completed space for design firm KGA. Stunning with its bright, sweeping wide spaces yet littered with wonderful interior details, Caesars Forum adds spacious and beautiful options to future Vegas events. While the timing of COVID19 is unfortunate for the opening of such a wonderfully designed space, there’s no doubt that events will eventually (sic) find their perfect spot at the Forum.

Below are a few of our construction photos–just for fun.

Raiders Preview Center

May 7, 2019/in Architecture, Commercial, What's New/by David Marquardt

There’s a lot of anticipation surrounding the arrival of the Raider in Las Vegas next year. As the new stadium is being built, the Raiders are getting Las Vegans excited and selling suites at the Raiders Preview Center in nearby Town Square. Downstream, a Portland-based experience designer, created the space, including a mock-up suite, interactive video screens, a detailed miniature of the stadium, and an array of Raiders memorabilia from the stadium. A beautifully designed space in black, white, a silver, it is a great way for locals to preview the team’s arrival and get a sneak peek at what the massive construction project just off the I-15 nearby Mandalay Bay is working to produce.

An incredibly challenging space to shoot, it places black against white indiscriminately and creates incredible challenges of contrast and color with splashes of light from incandescent, video, and colored sources.

Have a look at a few photos we were commissioned to put together to showcase the space:

Hoover Dam Visitor Center Renovation

April 5, 2019/in Architecture, Commercial, What's New/by David Marquardt

The Hoover Dam visitor’s center, built in 1995, has welcomed visitors from all over the world for over 20 years. But the much-visited structure had begun to show its age in style and wear–that is until a winter renovation recently concluded. The dark copper and earth-toned interiors have given way to white terrazzo flooring, stainless-steel accents, and a new color palette of azure, orange, grey and white. The once caliginous space now beams with LED and natural light which is bounced about by the building’s bright new color scheme. From the cash registers to the restrooms, the new building feels bright and welcoming. Opening just a few weeks ago on March 10th, the new design makes revisiting the Dam a great springtime activity–especially if it has been a few years (say twenty) since you’ve been.

We had the chance to shoot the newly redesigned facility and it was quite the privilege. Shooting a space which so many have–and will yet–visit from all over the world feels fun. Just being near the massive edifice of concrete and steel that is the Hoover Dam engages explorer mode in a human being and makes you feel awe and wonder at both the achievement of the builders a century ago and at the sheer size and beauty of the jagged canyon in which it was so arduously erected. Even while working, it felt a bit like being on vacation.

While no work was performed on the exterior, we wanted to make sure that the commissioning clients Atherton Construction, TSK Architects, the Bureau of Reclamation and Top End Constructors came away with an image of the exterior to be able to show the dramatic location of their stellar renovation work.

One Stunning Office Building in Summerlin

December 1, 2018/in Architecture, Commercial, Exteriors and Landscape, Interior Design, What's New/by David Marquardt

4:30AM must qualify as one of the most horrible and unpopular hours of the day. Great things don’t happen at 4:30. Even for a town like Las Vegas, by 4:30 most of the fun has already happened, and for anyone else awake at that hour, it either means you have a new baby or you have a cruel employer. But on occasion, a very early hour lends itself to some great photos.

VCC, the contractor tasked with building the Two Summerlin office building in Downtown Summerlin, just across from Red Rock Casino, needed some great portfolio images of the brand-new beautiful building just completed. Since we wanted to shoot the space at a dramatic twilight hour but dusk put the setting sun directly behind the building creating less-than-flattering light. Consequently, we opted to shoot at dawn, putting us at the site at the aforementioned unsavory hour.

What’s more, shooting the building from the ground simply didn’t do justice to the stunning new edifice. From the adjacent parking garage, one is too close to shoot the full building–even with a wide-angle lens. So we enlisted the help of a scissor lift atop the parking structure to allow us to both move back and move up to capture a beautiful perspective of the new tower.

Start on the third floor of a parking structure and go up another 20 feet in a scissor lift and some great perspectives result.

We also shot the small, but beautiful elevator lobby, the restrooms and the elevator as well, and we thought the photos are certainly worthy of posting.

This final shot is a personal favorite; though the building isn’t centered, nor is the whole structure within the frame, it splits the building and distant Vegas lights nicely and distinctly places the tower in its neon-desert environment.

US Bureau of Reclamation

October 5, 2018/in Architecture, Commercial, Exteriors and Landscape, Interior Design, What's New/by David Marquardt

Workers hoping to get a job on the massive Boulder Dam (now called Hoover Dam) began setting up squatters camps near the chosen work site in 1930. These camps of prospective dam workers might be called the first citizens of Boulder City–a town assembled specifically to house the administration and workforce of the largest public works project in American history. Boulder City was built in a triangular shape and at the peak was the Bureau of Reclamation Administration Building, overlooking the town on one side and the subsequent lake which would be formed by the Dam’s construction. The Administration Building oversaw the successful completion of the Dam and continued to house those overseeing both the operation of the dam and the management of the resources it provided. For nearly ninety years the Administration Building operated without a major renovation–until in 2018 when the Bureau of Reclamation finally completed a full and long overdue restoration of the historic Administration building at 1200 Park in Boulder City.

Upon completion of the restoration, the US Bureau of Reclamation gave us the fantastic opportunity this summer to photograph the building in its fully-restored grandeur. From its iconic exterior to the bathrooms inside, nearly everything was redone, and nearly everything was photographed. Over two days we shot the carefully reconditioned structure both inside and out and delivered over 100 images of the beautiful new environment in which the employees of the Bureau of Reclamation now work. Below are a few samplings of the images we captured in this great project.

While in the previous exterior photo we enhanced the building with some supplemental lighting, we also included some much more natural images in the end bundle. The dramatic skies at dusk here are no sky replacement and all the light is ambient, giving a fairly perfect idea of what the building looks like on a long August night.

The conference room acts as both a normal meeting space, but can also double as a command center in times of crisis. We wanted to capture this particular space both in daytime, with all its natural light and at night to showcase its abundant and modern lighting.

In multiple parts of the building the preexisting materials were kept to echo the building’s historic roots. Here we see some exposed brick kept in a Bureau restroom.

On the tastefully restored patio the unique placement of the Administration can be appreciated as one can peer down upon Lake Mead, the child of the Boulder Dam Project, which delivers water and electricity to Las Vegas and numerous western states.

T-Mobile Store on Las Vegas Boulevard

March 15, 2018/in Architecture, Commercial, Interior Design/by David Marquardt

Working with Seattle-based video production company Element7,we had the opportunity to photograph the brand-new T-mobile store on Las Vegas Boulevard next to MGM Grand. This massive two-story retail store boasts giant LED video screens, interactive VR station, snack bar, and even interactive restroom mirrors.

Producing great photos didn’t come without some real challenges:

The space immediately beside T-mobile was torn apart
We were not legally allowed to set up on the island on Las Vegas Boulevard right in front of the store which required us to shoot from across the street
Power lines were running past the store in layers
A horrid street lamp was right in the way of our only opening between the palm trees
The brightness of the video marquis above the store was out-of-this-world (and way out of any histogram)
We needed to contend with busy street traffic and sidewalk foot traffic

We spent 2 nights and an afternoon working to get comprehensive photography of the space and, in the end, delivered more than 100 finished photos to the client. Here is just a small sampling including a before shot of the exterior straight out of the camera.

(Straight out of camera: Notice the street lamp, power lines, cracked asphalt, damaged building to the right and the blazing video screen up top.)

Variety and Creativity in Commercial Real Estate Photography

June 1, 2017/in Architecture, Real Estate, What's New/by David Marquardt

We have the regular opportunity to photography commercial shopping centers which are for sale. When shooting, we don’t have the luxury of a controlled environment, with shoppers, cars, weather, and all the complications of shooting during business hours. Nonetheless, we often have the task of creating professional images in this less-than-professional environment. In addition, we get requests to feature the setting of the shopping center, such as being adjacent to the strip or having views of the valley. At Lake Mead Crossing, the setting included the dramatic desert mountains surrounding the complex. With large, big-box retail buildings, seeing surrounding landscape can be a challenge–after all, the mountains, though large, are 20 miles away. So while we provided strong wide-angle images of the major retailers at the property and its luscious landscaping, we walked backwards and pulled out a longer lens to allow the desert mountains to peek over the buildings and add context to the images. Shooting in both daylight and at the beautiful twilight hour, we were able to provide the agency’s designers a variety of images for their sales materials for the property. Producing a diverse set of clean, beautiful and authentic visuals for our clients is not only one of our biggest goals, it’s creatively challenging, and a lot of fun.

SkinnyFats’ Third Location

March 1, 2017/in Architecture, Interior Design, What's New/by David Marquardt

SkinnyFats is taking Las Vegas by storm, offering healthy food options alongside some down and greasy guilty pleasures. With an innovative menu and fun interiors, the restaurant is making food look like an easy business. We were thrilled to be able to shoot some fast-food retail restaurant photography of their newest location in Centennial Hills. Opening locations as quick as possible you need to get some quality photos as quickly as possible and we’re happy to be a partner in getting the word out. With the exterior still under construction, we offer you a look at the very cool interior of the Centennial Hills location of this up-and-coming titan of a food chain.

2016 Photography for Mark Tracy

September 7, 2016/in Architecture, Interior Design, What's New/by David Marquardt

We’ve been shooting for Mark Tracy of Chemical Space for over a decade. Consequently, we’ve seen just about everything he’s designed. That said, we can say with a bit of authority that his recent design of a home in The Ridges shows his skill at designing clean, modern living spaces as well as any project he’s done. With stunning materials and open layouts, Mark is the quintessential executor of a Vegas space, making a comfortable, livable home which can quickly convert to a upscale party venue.

A Summer Estate

July 7, 2016/in Architecture, Interior Design, What's New/by David Marquardt

We recently had the privilege of photographing a remodel of an estate in one of Las Vegas’ older neighborhoods. The goal was to create images which evoked the feeling of a resort which was the goal of this substantial makeover. We had a great time roaming the grounds in the scorching heat and shooting it as if we were creating a brochure for an upscale hotel chain.

There are times when weather is an obstacle (just as shooting all day in mid-June.) However, on rare occasions, mother nature can reward a diligent effort with unexpected shooting opportunities–as it did on this particular evening. Clouds which only minutes before were casting a hazy grey light suddenly became a dramatic canvas of yellows, orange, red, and pink. When shooting away from the sun, the clouds become a deep lavender. Suddenly this beautiful desert residence had a surreal light cast over it and upon it.

Included are a few images of the look of daytime, nighttime, and the unnatural sunset of a June afternoon at an estate in Las Vegas which seems like it was created for summertime.