LCI heads north with Glasgow gaming venue

London Clubs International, the company behind The Casino at The Empire in London’s Leicester Square, is to unveil a new casino this month in Scotland.

The company has revised the design team appointed to carry out the branding and interiors for its latest venture, following the launch of casinos in London, Manchester and Nottingham.

The naming, branding and identity for the £15m Alea Glasgow venue has been devised by marketing consultancy Elvis Communications, taking over from My Agency, the consultancy that worked on the group’s London and Manchester casinos.

Interiors group Real Studios was appointed to the Glasgow project, following a five-way pitch, effectively replacing US consultancy Paul Steelman Design Group, which created a scheme for The Casino at the Empire in London.

Burrows Cave, LCI’s long-standing architect, has designed the glazed building and architectural features for Alea Glasgow.

Real Studios was tasked with creating a ‘major city destination’ that will feature other leisure facilities including bars, a restaurant and a live events area, as well as a casino and gaming rooms.

Real Studios managing director Yvonne Golds says, ‘I think we got this job because LCI saw our work at the Cumberland [hotel in London] and thought it most appropriate, given the massive volume. I think it saw how the space at the Cumberland drew on our exhibition experience.’

The consultancy has created a scheme that references Glasgow’s heritage, while bringing on board a number of Scottish artists in a bid to evoke a sense of place.

Wallpaper by Glasgow design duo Timorous Beasties, wall graphics by Ashley Cook and audiovisual installations by Surface 3 have been used. One of the key features of the scheme is a 14m wooden wave sculpture located at the entrance and weaves up the building’s staircase, in a nod to the region’s shipbuilding past.

The long bar on the first floor is clad in teal green and gold Bisazza tiles, with booths at either end upholstered in shocking pink.

Moooi horse lamps, designed by Front, flank the first floor restaurant entrance. Cut-glass chandeliers adorn the second restaurant space. A bespoke lamp created by Real Studios, which doubles as a cover for security equipment, has been installed in the gaming halls.

Lighting consultancy DHA has also been brought in to heighten mood and atmosphere at the venue.

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