Fogo De Chao Opens New Restaurant
When Fogo De Chao decided to open a restaurant in the Chicago area, they looked to Chicago Scenic to help create a major decorative element that would add to the ambiance and character of the dining room. The Brazil-based steak house is famous for its form of cooking, a southern Brazilian culinary tradition of more than three centuries, that originated by slowly roasting meat over open flame pits.

Project Manager Ken Zommer and Job Lead Mike Zaremba worked with architect Keith Curtis of Leiber Cooper Associates to create a fully functioning 11-foot-tall by 27-foot-wide wall of cascading water in the main room of the restaurant. The waterwall was created by first applying mortar to create linear texture. Paint Department Head Kevin Taylor then worked onsite to apply a faux painting technique to simulate Brazilian slate. Attaching fiberglass-reinforced concrete castings of railroad ties to the wall created the final touch.

The waterwall is engineered with a reservoir at the top that is pumped full of water allowing for a dazzling and continuous flow of cascading water around the concrete castings and over the water-wall’s surface. The décor was installed in late June and the restaurant is scheduled to open late this summer.

New Scene at Chicago Scenic
Since Chicago Scenic moved to our new location on Goose Island, CSSI Designer Ryan Hall, supervised by Design Manager Tom Ryan, has been involved in design projects to make the conference rooms, lobby, and administrative areas more functional and representative of the highly creative and skilled staff at CSSI. President Bob Doepel continues to make plans for in?house upgrades to the facility as the production schedule allows. Gary Heitz is the project manager and Mike Zaremba is the job lead.

The ongoing project includes a workstation made specifically for the storage and assembly of new marketing materials (see Spotlight on Marketing section). The area includes a long multi-tiered faux-granite countertop for easy assembly; specifically designed storage spaces that allow project profiles, company resumes, and other information to be accessed and assembled in a logical progression; and cork-covered, curved-faced overhead storage cabinets with recessed task lighting.

Another phase consists of developing a conference and presentation room in the lower level of the building. The focus of the room will be a stunning six-foot-wide by 12-foot-long conference table. The new table will accommodate twelve to fourteen people and is designed with a CNC-routed inlay of the company logo showcasing specialty materials and finishes.
Other elements of the new conference room include a more intimate seating area with couches and chairs set apart from the formal meeting area, traditional and electronic media presentation areas, and a large glass block window to allow natural light in from the lobby.
The final phase of the project will be adding new décor in the lobby. Using a wide variety of materials representative of all our shops, the lobby will house a gallery that highlights our company’s capabilities.

<<Back to Themed Entertainment/Environments
<<Back to Summer 2002 Newsletter